Blinded By ‘Blind Side:’ Michael Oher Alleges Lie By Tuohy Family

One of the more well-known and heartwarming sports introductions has evolved into one of the more distasteful conclusions.

Michael Oher, a retired NFL player who became famous for his story depicted in “The Blind Side,” has alleged a key element of the story was a lie established by the Tuohy family, as first reported by ESPN on Monday.

Oher on Monday filed a 14-page petition in Shelby County, Tennessee. In the petition, Oher alleged Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, who took Oher into their home as a high school student, never adopted him. Instead, Oher alleges the couple tricked him into signing a document in 2004 that made the Tuohys his conservators. Oher signed the document some three months before he turned 18, giving the Tuohys legal authority to make business deals in his name.

According to ESPN, the petition alleges the Tuohys used their power as conservators to make an agreement that awarded them and their two birth children millions of dollars in royalties from “The Blind Side,” a 2009 film that earned more than $300 million. Oher alleges he received nothing for the story.

Oher discovered the lie this February, according to the filing.

The petition requests the court end the Tuohys’ conservatorship and prohibit them from using Oher’s name and likeness. The petition also asks for the accounting of the money the Tuohys received based on using Oher’s name, and to pay Oher his fair share of profits.