Everything to Know About The Blind Side’s Tuohy Family Amid Michael Oher’s Lawsuit
Michael Oher, Subject of The Blind Side, Speaks Out on Lawsuit Against Tuohy Family
When it comes to this legal battle, Michael Oher and the Tuohys aren’t on the same side.
Which may surprise fans considering the familial bond conveyed in the 2009 Oscar-nominated film The Blind Side—which followed Michael’s journey from being a foster kid living on the streets to playing football in the NFL, including his time with Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy.
Back on August 14, 2023, Michael filed a petition in which he alleged the couple presented him in 2004 with what he thought were the equivalent of adoption papers but instead were an appointment of them as his conservators. In court documents obtained by NBC News the retired athlete said he was “falsely advised by the Tuohys that because he was over the age of eighteen” at the time “the legal action to adopt Michael would have to be called a ‘conservatorship’ but it was for all intents and purposes, an adoption.”
While Michael consented to the conservatorship “on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family,” the petition continued, he said he learned in February 2023 that the signing “in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys.”
“Since at least August of 2004,” the court documents read, “Conservators have allowed Michael, specifically, and the public, generally, to believe that Conservators adopted Michael and have used that untruth to gain financial advantages for themselves and the foundations which they own or which they exercise control.”
According to Michael, these financial advantages include money made from the 2009 movie The Blind Side, with the petition alleging Leigh Anne and Sean obtained “a contract price of $225,000 plus 2.5% of all future ‘Defined Net Proceeds,” for themselves and their kids Collins and Sean Jr. “SJ”.
Michael noted in the petition he was seeking to terminate the conservatorship as well as receive accounting and other relief. In a statement obtained by NBC News, he expressed how he was “disheartened” by the legal ordeal and called it “a difficult situation for my family and me.”
Dimitrios Kambouris/VF1 & Scott Cunningham via Getty Images
Following the accusations, Sean told the Daily Memphian, in part, “It’s upsetting that people would think I would want to make money off any of my children.” He added that lawyers had advised him when Michael was younger “that we couldn’t adopt over the age of 18; the only thing we could do was to have a conservatorship.”
Tuohy family lawyer Martin Singer also blasted Michael’s claims as “outlandish,” as well as “hurtful and absurd.”
“The idea that the Tuohys have ever sought to profit off Mr. Oher is not only offensive, it is transparently ridiculous,” he said in part in a statement obtained by E! News at the time. “In reality, 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.”
In their September 2023 response, Sean and Leigh Anne said they loved Michael and provided him with shelter, food, clothing and a car, but that they “never intended” or took the steps to adopt him, according to court documents obtained by NBC News. And though the pair called him son “on occasion,” the documents continued, they noted this was “not in a legal sense.”
As for the conservatorship, Sean and Leigh Anne argued Michael was “fully aware” of it and that it was opened so he could play college football.
“The NCAA made it clear that the only way he could attend the Ole Miss [was] if he was part of the Tuohy family in some fashion,” their response read. “Conservatorship was the tool chosen to accomplish this goal.”
Sean and Leigh Anne also said in their response that they stood “ready, willing and able to terminate the conservatorship” and that Michael had “never made any request” to end it before.
In terms of money made from The Blind Side, Sean and Leigh Anne said they received “something less than $225,000” and that “all funds received from the movie The Blind Side have been equally divided among the Respondents, their two children and the Petitioner.” They also insisted in the documents that they “have always acted in the best interest” of Michael.
An attorney for Michael told NBC News at the time, “We look forward to Mike finally getting his day in court, where we are confident that the truth will prevail.”
The Tuohy Family to End Michael Oher’s Conservatorship
On Sept. 29, 2023, a judge ordered an end to Michael’s conservatorship. Still, the rest of the case continued.
In November that year, Sean and Leigh Anne filed accounting that said Michael received more than $138,000 from the 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game and movie through payments that dated back to 2007, per court documents obtained by NBC News.
That same month, Michael filed a motion for a temporary injunction to, according to documents received by the outlet, stop Sean and Leigh Anne from “commercially using his name, image, and likeness, often in conjunction with the continuing false claims that they adopted” him.
Then, according to court documents obtained by ESPN, Michael accused Sean and Leigh Anne of making false claims about the accounting—including not accounting for $2.5 million that he says was taken from him in 2011 while he was in the NFL. The Tuohys declined the outlet’s request for comment at the time.
That December, Sean and Leigh Anne alleged Michael tried to extort them through “menacing” texts and demanded money from them despite their “increasingly estranged” relationship, per a filed response obtained by The New York Times.
“I was just still trying to figure things out. I didn’t think anything of it,” Michael told the publication in August 2024 about the texts, adding the messages “lit a fuse” and that he began receiving checks for the movie (according to The New York Times, Sean and Leigh Anne’s lawyers said Michael was already receiving royalty checks; however, he denied this).
As for the latest in the case, the outlet reported the Tuohys filed to have some of the case claims dismissed and that a hearing was scheduled for early October. E! News has reached out to both Michael’s as well as to Sean and Leigh Anne’s teams for an update on the case but has yet to hear back.
Michael also shot down the notion he filed the lawsuit out of a need for money.
“I worked hard for that moment when I was done playing, and saved my money so I could enjoy the time,” he told The New York Times, with the Tuohys denying the outlet’s interview request. “I’ve got millions of dollars. I’m fine.”
To learn more details about the real-life people who inspired The Blind Side and are now at the center of a legal battle, keep reading.
Who is Michael Oher from The Blind Side?
Michael Oher played college football at the University of Mississippi before getting drafted in 2009 by the Baltimore Ravens, where he won the 2013 Super Bowl. The offensive tackle was also part of the Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers during his eight-season NFL career.
Michael, now 38, married longtime girlfriend Tiffany Roy in 2022, with him becoming stepfather to her two kids Kobi and Kierstin from a previous relationship. The couple also welcomed children MJ and Naivi.
“Of all my accomplishments in life, being a dad is the one I am most proud of,” Michael wrote in his 2023 memoir When Your Back’s Against the Wall: Fame, Football and Lessons Learned through a Lifetime of Adversity. “It takes a whole different meaning, especially for men who never had one to model after.”
His story of overcoming hardships and his journey to the NFL inspired Michael Lewis’ 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game as well as the 2009 movie The Blind Side, in which he was portrayed by actor Quinton Aaron.
Skip Bolen/WireImage
Who is Leigh Anne Tuohy?
Leigh Anne Tuohy, 64, is a motivational speaker, author and interior designer who has been featured on shows like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Leigh Anne grew up in Memphis, Tenn. According to a bio from her website, which is now “under construction,” she met her husband Sean while attending the University of Mississippi and they wed in 1982.
After the success of The Blind Side, Leigh Anne wrote two books: In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving, which she penned with Sean, and Turn Around: Reach Out, Give Back, and Get Moving. She and her family also established the nonprofit Making It Happen.
Sandra Bullock played Leigh Anne in The Blind Side and won an Oscar for her leading role in the film.
Dimitrios Kambouris/VF1/WireImage
Who is Sean Tuohy?
Sean Tuohy, 65, grew up in New Orleans. According to Leigh Anne’s website, he attended the University of Mississippi on a basketball scholarship and played for the Rebels from 1979 to 1982. His bio states he was then drafted by the NBA’s New Jersey Nets after college, but “opted to continue his career overseas before returning to the US to be with his father during his final days.”
The website states Sean has worked as an NBA broadcaster for the Memphis Grizzlies for more than a decade, as well as owns and operates more than 60 fast-food restaurants. He was portrayed by Tim McGraw in The Blind Side.
Barry King/FilmMagic
Who is the Tuohy’s daughter Collins Tuohy?
Collins Tuohy is the daughter of Leigh Anne and Sean. According to Leigh Anne’s website, Collins met Michael at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis.
“When Collins became Briarcrest’s Homecoming Queen, Michael was her escort,” the website stated, “and they shared a common bond through their unique athletic pursuits: Collins won the Tennessee State Championship in the Pole Vault as Michael earned All-State honors in the discus and basketball championships.”
Like her parents, Collins attended the University of Mississippi. There, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and was a cheerleader, with the website stating she supported Michael from the sidelines at his football games.
Today, Collins is married to Cannon Smith and she co-owns Whimsy Cookie Company in Memphis. Plus, she joined the Board of her family’s Making It Happen Foundation with her parents and brother SJ.
Lily Collins played Collins in The Blind Side.
Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
Who is the Tuohy’s son Sean Tuohy Jr.?
Sean Tuohy Jr.—a.k.a. “SJ”—is the son of Leigh Anne and Sean. He attended Loyola University Maryland and played on the school’s basketball team, before enrolling in Southern Methodist University and joining their football team. According to Leigh Anne’s website, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications with a specialization in journalism and marketing from Loyola University Maryland as well as master’s degree in humanistic studies from SMU.
Following a coaching stint at SMU, SJ went on to work at the University of Arkansas, where he served as the assistant director of football operations, special assistant to the head coach for the school’s team, according to his LinkedIn bio. He went on to fulfill the role as the Liberty Flames’ assistant athletic director for football operations, per his profile, and then the University of Central Florida’s associate athletic director/chief of staff and executive director of the Kingdom NIL.
According to his social media accounts, SJ is now the Deputy Athletic Director for ORU Athletics.
Jae Head played SJ in The Blind Side.
To see more photos of the Tuohy family, keep scrolling:
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family).
Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
The Blind Side Premiere
Collins Tuohy, Sean Tuohy Jr., Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy got dressed up for the 2009 New York premiere of The Blind Side, the movie based on their life withMichael Oher, who became a pro football player.
Steve Granitz/WireImage
Oscars Night
The longtime couple walked the red carpet at the 2010 Academy Awards in Los Angeles in honor of The Blind Side, which earned actress Sandra Bullock an Oscar that year for playing Leigh Anne.
Donna Svennevik/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
The View Appearance
Michael Oher promoted his book I Beat the Odds on The View in 2011.
Skip Bolen/WireImage
Real-Life Inspiration
Sandra posed with Leigh Anne, whom she played onscreen, at a Blind Side benefit event in New Orleans in 2009.
Jim Spellman/WireImage
The Heat Premiere
Sean, Leigh Anne and Collins attended the movie’s New York premiere in 2013.
Wedding Day
Michael tied the knot with Tiffany Roy in November 2022. “Filled with joy, can’t believe people took their time and came to celebrate!” the former NFL player captioned a photo of the ceremony. “My beautiful wife, I love you so much, thank you for blessing me with our family! Easily the best single weekend I’ve ever been apart of.”
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
CMT Music Awards
Leigh Anne and and Sean brought daughter Collins to the 2010 CMT Music Awards, where Carrie Underwood was a big winner.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
The Trio Together
The group posed for a photo at the Nashville event.
Legacy Lives On
Michael stopped by the Walk of Champions at Ole Miss in April 2023. “Glad to see my name’s still there,” he wrote. “Class of ‘09, represent (‘08 football season). I got to take a tour of the new facilities under construction.”
Collins’ Date Night
The marketing expert shared a photo with her husband Cannon Smith at the Old Florida Fish House in July 2023.
“Sweaty faces and full hearts,” Collins wrote on social media. “It’s a hot one down here, but we are having the best time. This restaurant is an oldie but goodie. We always eat here at least once. Best sushi.”
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
New York Interview
Michael stopped by SiriusXM Studios in NYC on Aug. 9, 2023.
Mom-Daughter Moment
“Always know football season is right around the corner when it hits LAT’s birthday,” Collins wrote on Instagram in August 2023 alongside a throwback photo. “Today is the day… Happy Birthday Mom!! Love you!”
Family Photo
The football pro shared a pic with his loved ones in March 2023, writing, “Life is Beautiful #family #life #growth.”
Dimitrios Kambouris/VF1/WireImage
White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner After-Party
The pair, who got married in 1982, went to an after-party hosted by Bloomberg and Vanity Fair party following the 2010 White House Correspondents dinner in Washington, DC.
Book Release
Michael geared up for the release of his book When Your Back’s Against the Wall in August 2023.
This story was originally published Aug. 15, 2023 at 5:10 p.m. PST.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
