American footballer Michael Oher has made some big claims with regards to the movie 'The Blind Side' which was based on his life, saying that the real life pair of Leah Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy did not compensate him for the critically acclaimed and commercially successful 2006 blockbuster sports drama film.
American footballer Michael Oher has made some big claims with regards to the movie 'The Blind Side' which was based on his life, saying that the real life pair of Leah Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy did not compensate him for the critically acclaimed and commercially successful 2006 blockbuster sports drama film.
He has further claimed that the couple did not adopt him, but rather "tricked" him into signing conservatorship papers under the guise of adoption papers so that they could mint money off his name and sign business deals, while not paying him any royalties whatsoever.
According to Variety, the Tuohy couple's attorney, Marty Singer, gave out a lengthy statement on Tuesday afternoon in response to the footballer's claims.
The statement read that Oher had "threatened" the couple by saying that "he would plant a negative story about them in the press unless they paid him $15 million," as such dismissing the petition as "a ludicrous lawsuit" and a "cynical attempt to drum up attention in the middle of his latest book tour."
The statement read: "The Tuohys opened their home to Mr Oher, offered him structure, support and, most of all, unconditional love. They have consistently treated him like a son and one of their three children."
"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," Singer wrote, characterising Oher's alleged contentions as a "shakedown effort".
"Over the years, the Tuohys have given Mr. Oher an equal cut of every penny received from 'The Blind Side'," Singer added.
Denying all of the allegations in Oher's court filing, Singer went on to say that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy absolutely did not trick the former NFL star into getting into a conservatorship when he was 18 years old as he had claimed.
The conservatorship "was established to assist with Mr Oher's needs, ranging from getting him health insurance and obtaining a driver’s license to helping with college admissions," Singer said.
"Should Mr. Oher wish to terminate the conservatorship, either now or at anytime in the future, the Tuohys will never oppose it in any way."
'The Blind Side' was released in 2006 and starred Sandra Bullock as Leah Anne Tuohy, Tim Mc Graw as Sean Tuohy and Quinton Aaron as Michael Oher, detailing his journey to reach the NFL with the aid of the Tuohy couple, who in real life are his adoptive parents. For her role as Leah, Sandra Bullock won great praise, earning both an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award.