Inspiring life of former footballer Michael Oher Blind spotShe spoke publicly for the first time since filing a lawsuit against her adoptive parents, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy. New York Times Magazine It was released on August 18th.
Oher filed a lawsuit against the Tuohys in a Tennessee court on August 14, 2023, seeking to terminate the couple's custody of him and claiming they used his name to make millions. Oher claimed in the lawsuit that he received “millions of dollars collectively” for the rights to Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy and their two biological children. Blind spot “Michael received nothing in return for the rights to the book and film adaptation.”
During the new interview, Oher said the situation was more nuanced than court records show. He said his time with the Tuohys was “wonderful” at first. “I had a bed to sleep on. I was eating well. They bought me a truck,” he said. “The first time I heard 'I love you' was from Sean and Leigh Anne. When that's 18 years old, you're vulnerable.”
Now, Oher wonders if Tuohy's generosity masked a darker intention. While he focuses on his NFL career, the Tuohys Blind spot—first in the form of Michael Lewis's 2006 book and then the film adaptation in 2009. Oher felt that her portrayal in both the book and the film was far from accurate, but still fit Tuohy's “narrative”.
“Pro football is a tough business. You have to be 100 percent focused,” he said. “I fell into their narrative because I really needed to focus on my NFL career, not the off-field stuff.”
But it proved disastrous for his NFL career, which was just beginning in earnest around the time the film was released. “That's the heartbreak,” he admitted. “The minute I got there, I was identified… NFL people were wondering if I could read a playbook.”
Oher, who saw the proliferation of false news on social media, which was just starting to blossom at the time, worried that the film would define his career. “I started seeing things that showed me that I was stupid. I am stupid. Every article that mentioned me Blind spot“It's like it's part of my name,” she recalled. “If my kids can't do something in class, will their teachers think, 'Their dad is stupid, so he doesn't understand?'” Oher wondered at the time.
Oher admitted that for a long time she was “mentally very angry” with Ohers for “what she went through”, but now she wants to let go of that anger and move on. “I want to be the person I was before Blind spot“Personality-wise,” he explained, “I’m still working on it.”
“You let your guard down and then everything is taken away from you,” Oher said of his relationship with the Tuohys. “It becomes a sense of hurt… I don’t want to make this a racial issue, but what I’ve learned is that nobody says ‘I love you’ more than coaches and white people. When black people say it, they mean it,” Oher added.
Allegedly deprived of income Blind spotOher revealed that he is doing well financially and currently has “millions of dollars” in the bank. “I worked hard for that moment when I stopped playing and saved my money so I could enjoy the time,” he told the outlet.
Tuohy’s guardianship over Oher was established in 2004 and gave the family control over her finances and major life decisions, which is required under Tennessee law to grant guardianship over an adult, despite the former struggler having no known disabilities. A judge terminated the guardianship in September 2023. The Tuohys declined to comment NYT Magazine's story.