Fourteen years ago, the world was introduced to the movie The Blind Side starring Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Tim McGraw, Kathy Bates, and Lilly Collins.
The movie was based on what people thought was an “extraordinary true story” about a young man named Michael Oher who came from nothing with the help of a wealthy family to become an offensive lineman in the NFL.
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However, in August 2023, the real-life Michael Oher says much of the story told in the movie was a lie. For instance, in his recent court filings, Oher claims that the Tuohy family, which includes Leigh Anne, played by Sandra Bullock, and Sean, played by Tim McGraw, never legally adopted him.
Instead, Oher claimed he was placed under a conservatorship, which he is still under today. In the lawsuit, in which Oher is seeking to end the conservatorship completely, the retired football star claims he never received royalty payments for the movie and that he was “tricked” into signing the conservatorship papers.
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Oher explained that when it came time for the Tuohy family to adopt him, he was told that because of his age, being placed under a conservatorship would be similar to going through the adoption process. Oher was 17 at the time when the signed the papers in 2004.
According to reports, the conservatorship meant that Oher “shall not be allowed to enter into any contracts or bind himself without the direct approval of his conservators.” Twenty years later, the conservatorship is still in effect today.
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In the petition, Oher’s disdain for the Tuohy family is clear. It reads, “Where other parents of Michael’s classmates saw Michael simply as a nice kid in need, Conservators Sean Tuohy and Leigh Anne Tuohy saw something else: a gullible young man whose athletic talent could be exploited for their own benefit.”
The legal papers went on to claim that Leigh Anne, Sean, and their biological children, SJ and Collins have all benefited from his life’s story, while he has not. Now, Leigh Anne and Sean’s son, SJ, who also played a big role in the movie, is speaking out.
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While speaking with Barstool Sports, SJ said that he “completely understands” why Oher is upset. However, SJ went on to say that he is far from a “multi-millionaire” like Oher claims he is in the legal documents.
“Man, if I had $2 million in my bank account, it would be in my email signature and say, ‘Signed, SJ Tuohy, multi-millionaire,’” SJ quipped while adding that his friends are “roasting” him over this situation.
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To which, Barstool founder Dave Portnoy added, “Somebody clearly is making a ton of the money off that movie, and he’s not seeing any of it — listen, if someone made a movie that I thought was about me, and I see it sold $300 million [at the] box office and I don’t see anything, I could see how that would upset me.”
Leigh Anne and Sean have not yet commented on the lawsuit. It remains unclear what their relationship like today, if there is one.