Author Michael Lewis revisited the Michael Oher saga in a recent interview as a judge in Tennessee agreed to end the conservatorship between the former NFL player and a Tennessee couple.
Lewis chronicled Oher’s journey in the book “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game,” which was later adapted into a movie starring Sandra Bullock. Oher’s life was back in the spotlight in August when he claimed Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy lied about adopting him and alleged the family used his name, image and likeness to enrich themselves.
The author initially pinned the blame on the “Hollywood studio system” in an interview with The Washington Post when it came to the financials from the book and the movie. But as he promoted his new book about Sam Bankman-Fried in an interview with The Guardian, he appeared to change his tune.
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Michael Lewis, author of “The Premonition: A Pandemic Story” and “Liar’s Poker,” at the Hay Festival on June 5, 2022, in Hay-on-Wye, Wales. (David Levenson/Getty Images)
Lewis maintained that the Tuohys didn’t make millions of dollars from “The Blind Side” and “insisted” the lineman wouldn’t have made it to the NFL if it weren’t for the family’s help, according to The Guardian. The author recalled Oher being shy when he wrote about him and then speculated on him amid the lawsuit.
“What we’re watching is a change of behavior. This is what happens to football players who get hit in the head: they run into problems with violence and aggression,” Lewis told the outlet.
He suggested further there may be a mix of Oher’s history in the sport along with other outside factors telling him this was the right time to file the lawsuit against the Tuohy family.
A rep for Oher didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Lewis’ latest remarks came as Shelby County Probate Court Judge Kathleen Gomes said last week she was terminating the conservatorship between Oher and the Tuohys. A conservatorship in Tennessee is often used when there is a medical condition or disability, per the AP. Gomes said she has never seen a conservatorship agreement reached with someone who is not disabled.
While Gomes is ending the conservatorship agreement, the judge is not dismissing the case.
In August, Oher, the inspiration behind the 2009 Academy Award-winning film “The Blind Side,” alleged in a petition filed in a Tennessee court that he was never legally adopted by the family, but rather tricked into a conservatorship that solely benefited the Tuohy family.
“The lie of Michael’s adoption is one upon which Co-Conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their Ward, the undersigned Michael Oher,” the document read.
Michael Oher visits SiriusXM Studios on Aug. 9, 2023, in New York City. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
“Michael Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the Conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys.”
MICHAEL OHER SAYS ‘THE BLIND SIDE’ DIDN’T PORTRAY WORK ETHIC PRIOR TO JOINING TUOHY FAMILY
The Tuohy family invited Oher to live with them in 2004. The filing alleges that soon after moving in, the family presented him with the conservatorship, which he understood as a form of legal adoption.
Oher’s petition sought to end the conservatorship and bar them from using his name and likeness. It also seeks to have Oher receive a share of profits based on the earnings the family purportedly made off his name.
The petition also alleged that while the Tuohys benefited significantly from “The Blind Side,” Oher did not.
The Panthers’ Michael Oher speaks to the media in Charlotte, North Carolina, April 20, 2015. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)
In September, Tuohys’ lawyers denied in court documents that they used a legal agreement between them and Oher to get rich at his expense and lied about intending to adopt him.
The family said they loved Oher like a son and provided him with food, shelter, clothing and cars while he lived with them. They denied saying they intended to legally adopt him.
The Tuohys’ filing said Oher did refer to Sean and Leigh Anne as “mom” and “dad” while they referred to Oher as their son. They also acknowledged that other websites showed them referring to Oher as an adoptive son but said the term was used “in the colloquial sense and they have never intended that reference to be viewed with legal implication.”
The family said the conservatorship was the tool chosen to comply with NCAA rules that would have kept Oher from attending Ole Miss, the university where Sean Tuohy played basketball. The filing said the NCAA “made it clear that he could attend Ole Miss if he was part of the Tuohy family in some fashion.
The Tuohys added that Oher lied about finding out that he was not adopted in February and pointed to the former NFL player’s 2011 book “I Beat the Odds,” which indicated he was aware the Tuohys were appointed as conservators rather than adoptive parents.
Michael Lewis wrote “The Blind Side.” (Getty Images)
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Oher was selected with the 23rd pick of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, where he played his first five NFL seasons. Oher went on to play for two more teams in his eight-year career.
Fox News’ Joe Morgan contributed to this report.
