Retired NFL star Michael Oher, whose supposed adoption out of grinding poverty by a wealthy, white family was immortalized in the 2009 movie “The Blind Side,” petitioned a Tennessee court Monday with allegations that a central element of the story was a lie concocted by the family to enrich itself at his expense.
But we’re going to love Michael at 37 just like we loved him at 16.
…which is to say, not at all, and with a thick overlay of paternalistic racism.
ESPN is astonishingly good at taking what should be a 4 sentence article and turning it into a 4 part anthology. Here is a summary from the Bing LLM:
According to an article on ESPN, Michael Oher, the subject of the movie “The Blind Side,” has filed a petition in a Tennessee court alleging that the Tuohy family never adopted him and instead tricked him into signing a document that gave them legal authority to make business deals in his name. Oher alleges that the Tuohys misled him into believing an arrangement he signed was a form of adoption, but was in fact a conservatorship. The petition also claims that the Tuohys made millions off the lie that they adopted him, including $225,000 in addition to 2.5% of the film’s net proceeds, which grossed over $300 million. Oher made no money off the film, which was released after he completed his college career and would not have impacted his NCAA eligibility ²⁴.
Source: Conversation with Bing, 8/14/2023 (1) ‘Blind Side’ subject Oher alleges Tuohys made millions off lie. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38190720/blind-side-subject-michael-oher-alleges-adoption-was-lie-amily-took-all-film-proceeds. (2) Michael Oher, ‘Blind Side’ subject, alleges adoption by Tuohys was a lie. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/michael-oher-blind-side-touhy-adoption-lie-rcna99823. (3) ‘The Blind Side’ subject Michael Oher says adoption by Tuohy family was a lie, he was cut out of money from movie. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/the-blind-side-subject-michael-oher-says-adoption-by-tuohy-family-is-a-lie-he-was-cut-out-of-movie-money/ar-AA1fgxqO. (4) Michael Oher, subject of ‘The Blind Side,’ alleges Tuohy family profited from lie. https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/michael-oher-subject-blind-side-alleges-tuohy-family-profited-lie/story?id=102258379. (5) Michael Oher Alleges ‘Adoption’ a Lie: ‘The Blind Side’ Controversy … https://www.themarysue.com/michael-oher-alleges-adoption-a-lie-the-blind-side-controversy-explained/.
