Former NFL player Michael Oher alleges that the Tuohy family profited from his name, image, and likeness while he did not receive any money from the movie’s earnings.
Oher’s journey to the NFL and overcoming his underprivileged background was brought to film in the 2009 movie The Blind Side. The Tuohy family played a large role in the story as they fostered and adopted Oher, which ultimately helped him land a scholarship at the University of Mississippi, where he ultimately ended up deciding to play.
Over the course of the film, Oher and the son of the Tuohy family, Sean Tuohy Jr. (also known as S.J.) develop a special relationship. S.J. was a young boy who enjoyed having a brotherly presence with Oher in the family. Now, nearly 15 years later, the biological S.J. Tuohy opens up on the current spat with Oher.
In an interview with Barstool Sports, Tuohy states: "I get why he’s mad." He went on to say that he personally has made several thousands of dollars "over the course of the last four or five years," despite Oher not seeing any money for his involvement in the film. Tuohy also noted that "he loved Mike [Oher] at 16, I love Mike now at 37, and I’ll love him at 67." Despite the ongoing legal battle, the bond between Oher and Tuohy cannot be broken.
After his time at Ole Miss, Oher was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft and had an eight-year NFL career. Tuohy is now the Associate Athletics Director of the University of Central Florida’s football program.
