The biopic The Blind Side chronicled Michael Oher’s inspiring story of the Tuohys who adopted him, which led to an NFL career. However, the former football player claimed the Tuohys never adopted him and instead placed him under conservatorship. A year after Oher’s lawsuit against the Tuohys, he spoke out about how the film The Blind Side negatively affected his image.
Amid a dispute over 'being blinded', Michael Oher tells his true story from orphan to victor
Based on the book by Michael Lewis, The Blind Side followed Michael Oher's difficult upbringing until his adoption by the Tuohys. Oher didn't attend the 2009 film's premiere, but was persuaded to see it a month after its release. He told People that watching The Blind Side felt like "a comedy about someone else" with his new coworkers questioning his intelligence.
"The NFL people were wondering if I could read a playbook," the former offensive tackle said. "I started seeing things [on social media] that I'm dumb. I'm dumb. Every article about me was called The Blind Side, like it was part of my name."
The Oscar-winning film showed Michael Oher struggling in school and his little brother coaching him for football. The Tennessee native feared the film’s depiction would affect his children when their teacher thought, “Their daddy’s stupid.” Now that the aftermath of the sports biopic is still affecting Oher, his newfound desire is to embark on a journey of self-discovery:
