Ex-NFL player Michael Oher, inspiration of ‘The Blind Side,’ says he was never adopted by family

Former NFL player Michael Oher, the inspiration behind the 2009 Academy Award-winning film, “The Blind Side,” alleged in a petition filed in Tennessee court on Monday that he was never legally adopted by the family, but rather tricked into a conservatorship that solely benefited the Tuohy family.

The document, obtained by ESPN, reveals that Oher discovered he was never legally adopted by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy in February 2023 and alleges that he was tricked into entering a conservatorship after his 18th birthday.

“The lie of Michael’s adoption is one upon which Co-Conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their Ward, the undersigned Michael Oher,” the document read, according to the report. 

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“Michael Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the Conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys.”

Oher previously wrote in his 2011 memoir “I Beat the Odds,” that the Tuohys explained to him that conservatorship “means pretty much the exact same thing” as being adopted by the family. However, being legally adopted would’ve allowed Oher to remain in charge of his own financial decisions. 

A representative listed on Leigh Anne Tuohy’s website did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.  

The petition also alleged that while the Tuohys benefited significantly from the movie, Oher did not. 

According to the report, the family negotiated a deal that paid them each, including the Tuohys’ two birth children, a significant amount plus a percentage in royalties. The filing also alleges that another contract signed by Oher in 2007, which he has no recollection of, signed away his rights to the story “without any payment whatsoever.”  

Debra Branan, according to ESPN, was listed as Oher’s agent as well as the attorney who filed the 2004 conservatorship petition. She did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Oher’s attorney J. Gerard Stranch IV told ESPN that his client was “devastated” when he discovered the true nature of the conservatorship. 

“Mike didn’t grow up with a stable family life,” he said. “When the Tuohy family told Mike they loved him and wanted to adopt him, it filled a void that had been with him his entire life. Discovering that he wasn’t actually adopted devastated Mike and wounded him deeply.”

The petition seeks to end conservatorship and bar them from using his name and likeness. It also seeks that Oher receives a share of profits based on the earnings the family purportedly made off his name.

Oher was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, where he would play five seasons and win one Super Bowl before signing with the Tennessee Titans. After a brief stint, he signed with the Carolina Panthers, but was eventually released in 2017.