Retired NFL player Michael Oher is fighting a battle over his life story on two fronts: a clash in court with his childhood caretakers, whom he accuses of making millions on book and TV adaptations of his story, and now personal attacks from the author of that story.
In an interview with The Guardian“The Blind Side” author Michael Lewis speculated that Oher filed a lawsuit against his caretakers, Sean Tuohy and Leigh Anne Tuohy, not over a legitimate complaint but because of mental illness brought on by his time in the National Football League.
“What we’re watching is a change of behavior,” Lewis told The Guardian. “This is what happens to football players who get hit in the head: They run into problems with violence and aggression.”
Lewis also claimed that Oher, who played in the NFL from 2009 to 2016, was “not useful” on the football field until he met the Tuohys while attending a private high school in 2003. Before moving in with the Tuohys, however, he had been recognized as one of the top players in Tennessee.
These and other verbal attacks were published in The Guardian on Tuesday, days after a judge released Oher from the Tuohys’ conservatorship. In August, Oher alleged that the Tuohys tricked him into signing the conservatorship by telling him it was similar to an adoption and that it would make him a part of their family. Oher also alleged that they took advantage of him financially following the release of the book and film based on his life and the “adoption” story.
The suit is ongoing, even though the conservatorship has ended.
Lewis told The Guardian that Oher “was not a strong voice on his life” and that he had to “dig” the story out to write the book.
Lewis also suggested that Oher worked with his lawyer to fabricate a story because the public would “get behind him if he makes these accusations,” according to The Guardian’s article.
This is not the first time that Lewis has backed Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy, his childhood friend, while simultaneously questioning Oher’s mental state.
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“What I feel really sad about is I watched the whole thing up close,” Lewis told The Washington Post in August. “They showered him with resources and love. That he’s suspicious of them is breathtaking. The state of mind one has to be in to do that — I feel sad for him.”
Lewis’ book was turned into a highly acclaimed 2009 film that earned actor Sandra Bullock numerous awards, including an Oscar.
The story has been dubbed a “white savior” narrative, meaning it depicted the Tuohys as Oher’s rescuers without addressing other societal barriers, like systemic racism. Oher later wrote in his own book that the film unfairly portrayed him as “dumb.”
Further, conservatorships are usually granted when a judge finds that an individual is not capable of making their own decisions. As such, this allows conservators to make legal, financial and other decisions for the individual.
“I cannot believe it got done,” the judge said last month about the conservatorship between the Tuohys and Oher.
The Tuohys claim that Oher threatened to feed the story to the press prior to the lawsuit in a “shakedown” effort.
“They have consistently treated him like a son and one of their three children,” the Tuohys’ attorney said in a statement after the suit. “His response was to threaten them, including saying that he would plant a negative story about them in the press unless they paid him $15 million.”
Sean Tuohy told the Daily Memphian in August that they were “devastated” by the suit but will continue to love him regardless.
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2023-10-03 22:47:26
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