Sean Tuohy Responds to Michael Oher's Claims He Was Denied 'Blind Side' Movie Royalties
15.08.2023 - 00:21
/ justjared.com
Sean Tuohy is responding to the claims made by his “adopted son” Michael Oher, who is the subject of the movie The Blind Side.
For those who don’t know, the Oscar-winning movie was based on the story of Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy adopting Michael out of poverty while he was in high school, leading to his career in the NFL.
Michael claims he recently learned that the Tuohys allegedly did not adopt him and instead tricked him into letting them be his conservators and giving up his authority to make business deals. He went on to say the conservatorship “provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys,” even though they referred to him as their “adopted son” and used the relationship to promote their foundation and Leigh Anne’s work as an author and motivational speaker.
Michael filed a lawsuit to terminate the conservatorship and issue an injunction prohibiting the Tuohys from using his name and likeness, as well as full accounting of the money earned by the family using his name. He also wants “fair share of profits” plus “unspecified compensatory and punitive damages,” according to ESPN.
So, what does Sean have to say in response?
“We’re devastated,” Tuohy told The Daily Memphian. “It’s upsetting to think we would make money off any of our children. But we’re going to love Michael at 37 just like we loved him at 16.”
Sean says the conservatorship was put in place to get Michael into Ole Miss, but that he’ll end it if that’s what Michael wants. He claims the family did not make millions from the movie though.
“We didn’t make any money off the movie,” Tuohy said. “Well, ["The Blind Side" author] Michael Lewis gave us half of his share. Everybody in the family got an equal share, including Michael. It was about