Apart from being an NFL great, former star player Michael Oher made a name for himself for his mysterious and struggle-filled life journey before his NFL debut. His life story even prompted John Lee Hancock to portray a biographical sports drama film over his life.
Oher had been taken in by an affluent couple Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy after passing his days in foster homes during his teenage years. The relationship between the black American player and white couple touched many NFL fan’s hearts, yet the bonding fell apart recently taking a U-turn.
What happened between ex-NFL star Michael Oher and his foster parents?
On Monday, Michael requested that his legal tie with the Tuohy family be terminated in a Tennessee court, stating that he had lately discovered he had never been their adopted child. According to his court documents, the family misrepresented their relationship with the former Ole Miss All-American in order to receive financial benefits.
The 37-year-old’s attorney, J. Gerard Stranch IV, helped him learn the full history of his adoption, which did not take into account any familial ties to the adoptive parents.
“Mike’s relationship with the Tuohy family started to decline when he discovered that he was portrayed in the movie as unintelligent,” he told ESPN. “Their relationship continued to deteriorate as he learned that he was the only member of the family not receiving royalty checks from the movie, and it was permanently fractured when he realized he wasn’t adopted and a part of the family.”
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He was the centerpiece of the 2009 film “The Blind Side,” in which the director demonstrated how the Tuohy family created a path to success for adolescents living in foster homes. Again, the stunning thing about this is that while Micahel claimed he received nothing from the movie, the four biological family members each pocketed $225,000 plus 2.5% of the “defined net proceeds” from the movie.
The movie also has been marred with controversy, as he felt, it portrayed him wrongly and he was a fan of it since its’ release in 2009.
“I felt like (the film) portrayed me as dumb instead of as a kid who had never had consistent academic instruction and ended up thriving once he got it,” he wrote.
The movie generated $309 million worldwide, ranking eighth among 2009’s highest-grossing films, and garnered a nomination for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Nevertheless, legal counsel for the Tuohy family refuted all of the allegations and claimed that before the petition was filed, the former all-star player tried to extort the couple for $15 million.
Michael Oher’s career highlights
Oher completed his collegiate career with unanimous All-American accolades as a senior while playing college football for the University of Mississippi. In the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens opted for him. The former Ravens player played for the franchise during his first five seasons and his first Super Bowl victory in 2013 when they defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.
Following that, he had a brief run with the Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers. He made 110 total starts during the regular season, but Big Mike’s ailments severely limited his ability to play. As a result, he was dropped from the Panthers’ roster in 2017, which eventually influenced his choice to retire and the team’s decision to release him.
After his retirement, the family who had raised him up until the case’s emergence fully recognized him as a family guy. We’ll have to wait and observe to see how far the parties’ legal demand progresses in the future.
