The Blindside Football Allegations: Truth of Michael Oher’s Adoption

Michael Oher is a retired NFL player who believed that he was adopted by Sean Tuohy and Leigh Anne Tuohy at the age of 18. However, it turns out that Michael Oher was not actually adopted. Oher had unknowingly signed a conservatorship which allowed the Tuohys to legally make business deals in his name. After realizing in February of 2023 that the Tuohys had not adopted him, Michael Oher sued the Tuohy family for tricking him into signing the conservatorship.

Michael Oher had a challenging upbringing. He had 11 siblings, and his mother was addicted to drugs. As a result, he was put in foster care before the age of 11. Michael Oher moved between many different houses and attended 11 different schools in 9 years. In 10th grade he began attending the Christian School located in his Memphis neighborhood, where he played his high school career. Even though Michael Oher didn’t excel academically, he shined in athletics. When he was in 11th grade, he became a part of the football team and a top offensive player.

Michael Oher’s excellence in athletics allowed him and the Tuohys family to forge a strong relationship. Michael Oher spent many nights at their home and was eventually asked to move in. At the age of 18, Michael Oher signed a conservatorship which he thought of as a process of legally becoming a part of Tuohys’ family.

Through the movie, “The Blind Side”, the Tuohys and their two birth children received $225,000, and 2.5% of the movie’s “defined net proceeds.” However, Michael Oher, whose story was the basis of “The Blind Side”, claimed that he did not receive any money from this film. “The Blind Side” is based on the adoption of Michael Oher, but he was never officially adopted. Since the movie included false information about Michael Oher and created damage to the relationship between the Tuohys family and Michael Oher, it would have been better if the movie was not made in the first place. The Tuohys family denied Michael Oher’s claim and insisted that they did not take money from Michael Oher. Additionally, they admit they never intended to legally adopt Michael Oher in the first place, claiming that Micahel Oher knew about the conservatorship long ago since 2011.

As for their current relationship, Michael Oher wants to end the conservatorship with the Tuohys family, and the Tuohy family seems willing to do so.

Claire Ryu