'Devastated' Sean Tuohy Addresses Michael Oher's 'Insulting' Adoption Allegations
Sean Tuohy has broken his silence on Michael Oher's claims that the patriarch and his wife Leigh Anne fabricated the story of the former NFL player's adoption so they could profit off him.
In an interview with the Daily Memphian, Tuohy shared that the family is "devastated." He added, "It's upsetting to think we would make money off any of our children. But we're going to love Michael at 37 just like we loved him at 16."
Tuohy also alleged that though The Blind Side—which was based on Oher's adoption story—grossed over $300 million at the box office, the family did not profit from the Best Picture-nominated film.
"We didn’t make any money off the movie,” Tuohy said. He clarified, "Well, Michael Lewis [the author of the book The Blind Side] gave us half of his share. Everybody in the family got an equal share, including Michael. It was about $14,000 each."
He continued, "We were never offered money; we never asked for money. My money is well-documented; you can look up how much I sold my company for." According to the Daily Memphian, Tuohy sold his fast food franchises for a total of $213 million.
Tuohy noted, "The last thing I needed was 40 grand from a movie. I will say it's upsetting that people would think I would want to make money off any of my children."
In a petition filed with the Shelby County, Tennessee probate court, Oher alleged that when he was 18, the couple tricked him into signing a document that made them into his conservators, while telling him that the papers would allow them to legally adopt him.
Tuohy told the publication that the conservatorship was unrelated to the story seen in the film and was done to appease the NCAA so he would qualify to play football at the University of Mississippi.
“Michael was obviously living with us for a long time, and the NCAA didn’t like that," explained Tuohy. "They said the only way Michael could go to Ole Miss was if he was actually part of the family. "
The 63-year-old continued, "I sat Michael down and told him, ‘If you’re planning to go to Ole Miss—or even considering Ole Miss—we think you have to be part of the family. This would do that, legally.' We contacted lawyers who had told us that we couldn't adopt over the age of 18; the only thing we could do was to have a conservatorship. We were so concerned it was on the up-and-up that we made sure the biological mother came to court."
Tuohy also noted that though Tennessee does allow "adult adoption" now, he was told it was not legal at the time. He also shared the family would be willing to end Oher's conservatorship if it's what he wishes to do.
"It's hard because you have to defend yourself, but whatever he wants, we'll do. We’re not in this for anything other than whatever he wants. If he'd have said, 'I don’t want to be part of the family anymore,' we'd have been very upset, but we absolutely would have done it," the father shared.
He added, "No question, the allegations are insulting, but, look, it's a crazy world. You've got to live in it. It's obviously upset everybody."
Next: Internet Defends Sandra Bullock Amid 'Blind Side' Drama
