Say it ain't so: is "The Blind Side" based on a lie?
It’s like a little kid finding out there is no Santa Claus. That is the first thought that popped into my head when I read the ESPN.com exclusive that Michael Oher was suing his “parents” Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy in Tennessee probate court, claiming they never adopted him and took money due him from the blockbuster movie, “The Blind Side.”
The movie is when most of us–at least those of us who did not read Michael Lewis’ 2006 book, “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game,” on which the film is based–got to know Oher’s amazing story, from homeless teenager to a first-round NFL Draft pick. The movie premiere in New York was a star studded event, attended by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
News that Oher is now saying he was never adopted, and allegedly the Tuohys had him sign a conservatorship that gave them power over his business income, clearly struck a nerve. It is the number one trending story on X, the former Twitter. I tweeted a link to the story–so no original content from me–and that simple reposting has 176 retweets and 236K impressions.
Now, we haven't heard from the Tuohys so it's just a one-sided view right now. But whatever the other side says, it is just shattering to go from The Blind Side narrative to Oher suing the Tuohys.
In fact, it seems clear he and his lawyers wanted to make a big splash on ESPN. The lengthy ESPN.com, https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38190720/blind-side-subject-michael-oher-alleges-adoption-was-lie-family-took-all-film-proceeds, story couldn’t have been put together and published so soon after the complaint hit the docket; and as if their reporters happened to be checking the Shelby County, Tennessee probate court’s docket. This story Oher wanted out there and the landing page of espn.com is a great place to do it.
"The lie of Michael's adoption is one upon which Co-Conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their Ward, the undersigned Michael Oher," the former Baltimore Ravens filing says. "Michael Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the Conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys."
Why Oher didn’t know earlier he wasn’t adopted–if that is the case–or why he didn’t notice he was receiving nothing for the movie about him, is hazy. Oher never liked the movie because it portrayed him as not knowing how to play football, and only taking up the game at the Tuohys’ behest. That is not accurate, though it is the type of fiction often inserted into movies like this to make a better storyline.
Now, Hollywood of course takes liberties with real life. The movie “Braveheart,” about Scottish 13th century rebel William Wallace, is all but fictional. But the core of Blind Side is the adoption and the no strings attached love for Oher from the Tuohys.
I was thinking of just how big a deal it is for the core element of a sports movie to be undone. It’s like finding out the famous Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger from the movie “Rudy,” did not work his way onto the practice team at Notre Dame but got on it through other means. Or that the winning team in Hoosiers had ringers or won through some other nefarious means.
The story also has echoes of athlete financial mismanagement. If the conservatorship indeed gave the Tuohys access to all of Oher’s business income, how could that have gone on so long? Was it just the movie income, or other off field deals? How could Oher not have been aware? A lot of these details won’t emerge until discovery, if the case gets that far. But one thing is clear: Re-watching “The Blind Side” will never be the same.