The Tuohy family is ending its conservatorship over retired NFL player Michael Oher after facing a lawsuit alleging they took advantage of him.
The New York Post reported one of their lawyers, Randall Fishman, announced the news in a press conference Wednesday.
Oher’s story inspired the book and the movie “The Blind Side” about how the Tuohys took him in and helped him become an NFL star.
Oher’s lawsuit alleged he was tricked into the conservatorship instead of being adopted by the family and is seeking to account for the money the Tuohys made off of his name.
The IJR reported Sean Tuohy said everyone in the family received an equal share of the book profits, including Oher. This totaled $14,000 each.
In addition, Tuohy decried allegations that he wished to profit off Oher. He earned $200 million off of owning and selling fast-food restaurant chains and called it “upsetting” to be accused of trying to make money off Oher, who he considers to be his child.
The family’s lawyer also stated Oher and the Tuohys all made the same amount off of the film about his life, amounting to $100,000 each, per The Tennessean.
The author of the book that led to the movie “The Blind Side,” Michael Lewis, defended the Tuohys, noting that they have not become rich from the film.
“Everybody should be mad at the Hollywood studio system,” he said.
Lewis added, “Michael Oher should join the writers strike. It’s outrageous how Hollywood accounting works, but the money is not in the Tuohys’ pockets.”
The Tuohy’s other lawyer, Steven Farese Sr., stated, “The Tuohys did not control any of Mr. Oher’s finances.”
“Mr. Oher picked his own agent. Mr. Oher signed his own contract, negotiated it through his agents. They don’t need his money. They’ve never needed his money,” he added.
In addition, Oher’s lawsuit claims that he was unaware of the conservatorship until 2023, but Fishman pointed out Oher describes that detail in his 2011 book “I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond.”
Fishman also addressed concerns as to why the conservatorship went on for so long. He said, “Frankly, nobody even thought about it.”
“They were appointed conservator of the person. There was no estate for which to file accounting for. They have said on the record more than once, they’ll be glad to enter whatever order (he wants) to terminate the conservatorship,” he concluded.
