Michael Oher Then and Now: A Timeline of the NFL Star’s Life and Career

Michael Oher’s story of going from homelessness to the NFL after being taken in by the Tuohy family inspired thousands after it was depicted in a book, and then the Oscar-nominated film The Blind Side.

On Aug. 14, however, the retired NFL star alleged in a legal filing that the story was largely false, and claimed that Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy lied about adopting him while making millions off his name.

In the filing, the Super Bowl champ alleged the Tuohy family tricked him into making them his conservators when he was 18, allegedly telling him there was no consequential difference between being adopted and entering into a conservatorship. Oher also alleges that the four family members (Leigh Anne, Sean and their two children Collins and Sean Jr.), each received $225,000 for the film, along with 2.5% in residual checks over the years since its release, and claims that he does not earn residuals.

“Michael trusted the Tuohys and signed where they told him to sign,” the legal filing claims. “What he signed, however, and unknown to Michael until after February 2023, were not adoption papers, or the equivalent of adoption papers.”

On Aug. 15, the Tuohy family’s attorney Martin Singer released a statement to PEOPLE calling Oher’s allegations about the family “hurtful and absurd.” Singer claimed that Oher attempted a “shakedown” on the couple for $15 million before he filed the legal petition on Aug. 14. The statement maintained that the Tuohys divided all proceeds from The Blind Side equally among members of the family, including Oher, and established the conservatorship “to assist with Mr. Oher’s needs, ranging from getting him health insurance and obtaining a driver’s license to helping with college admissions.”

Several of the Tuohy family members have also spoken out since the filing, including Sean Tuohy and Sean Tuohy Jr., both of whom are depicted in The Blind Side. Released in 2009, the sports drama painted a picture of how the Tuohy family took him in and helped him through high school, college and his eventual NFL career.

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“We’re devastated,” Sean told the Daily Memphian. “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.”

Meanwhile, Sean Jr. told Barstool Sports he “completely understands” why Oher is upset. However, he rebutted Oher’s allegation that he and his family made “$2 million” off the film. “Man, if I had $2 million in my bank account, it would be in my email signature and say, ‘Signed, SJ Tuohy, multi-millionaire,’” said Sean Jr.

On Aug. 15, Oher shared a statement with PEOPLE following the legal filing. “I am disheartened by the revelation shared in the lawsuit,” Oher said in the statement, issued by a representative for the former NFL player. “This is a difficult situation for my family and me. I want to ask everyone to please respect our privacy at this time. For now, I will let the lawsuit speak for itself and will offer no further comment.”

Read on for a look back at Michael Oher’s life and career.

May 28, 1986: Michael Oher is born in Memphis, Tenn.

George Gojkovich/Getty

Oher was born on May 28, 1986, in Memphis, Tenn. to mother Denise Oher and father Michael Jerome Williams. Oher had bounced around a number of foster homes since he was 11 years old, having been raised in a family of 12. His mother Denise had struggled with drug addiction and his father died in 2004.

“I’m still traumatized and I still deal with things that I dealt with as a kid,” Oher told PEOPLE about his early childhood in March 2021.

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Summer 2004: Michel Oher moves in with the Tuohy family

Leigh Anne Tuohy/ Instagram

Oher first met the Tuohy family when he was a student at Briarcrest Christian School in Eads, Tenn., where he often stayed with classmates’ families because he was “on his own” and “nearly penniless,” according to his recent legal filing. 

The filing alleges the Tuohys were one of the families he would “occasionally” stay with during that time, and in the summer of 2004, the family invited him to officially move in.

“Almost immediately after Michael moved in, the Tuohys presented him with what he understood to be legal papers that were a necessary step in the adoption process,” the filing claims. 

The conservatorship papers he signed instead gave the Tuohys “total control” over Oher’s ability to sign contracts, the petition alleges. The filing claims the Tuohy family “falsely and publicly represented themselves” as Oher’s adoptive parents.

2005: Michael Oher commits to the University of Mississippi for football

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Oher received scholarships from several colleges after high school, ultimately committing to the University of Mississippi — where Leigh Anne and Sean went to school — to play football. He graduated in 2009 with a degree in criminal justice.

September 2006: Michael Lewis’ book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, is published

Oher and the Tuohy family were the subjects of Michael Lewis’ 2006 book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, and its 2009 feature film adaptation, The Blind Side, which detailed Sean and Leigh Anne taking in Oher. 

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April 2009: Michael Oher gets drafted by the Baltimore Ravens

Scott Cunningham/Getty

Upon graduating in 2009, Oher was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens during the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft where he was the 23rd overall selection. The Tuohy family was by his side for the special honor.

November 20, 2009: The Blind Side is released

The Blind Side was released in November 2009, coinciding with Oher’s rookie season in the NFL.

The film — which starred Quinton Aaron as Oher, Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne and Tim McGraw as Sean — earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture as well as a Best Actress win for Bullock’s portrayal of Leigh Anne.

The Blind Side went on to make more than $330 million at the box office.

2010: Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy release their book, In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving

Following The Blind Side‘s release, Sean and Leigh Anne released the book, In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving, and established their charity, The Making it Happen Foundation, which “promotes awareness, provides help, and seeks to improve the standard of living for all the children fighting to survive in the invisible cracks in society,” per Leigh Anne’s website. 

2011: Michael Oher releases his book, I Beat the Odds

Scott Cunningham/Getty

In 2011, Oher released I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond, which became a New York Times best-seller. In an excerpt published by NPR, the retired football player differentiated his book from Michael Lewis’s previously published The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game and Sean and Leigh Anne’s In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving.

“Lewis’s book was originally aimed at football fans who were interested in some game strategy and a personal story about it; the Tuohys’ book was designed to help carry on a discussion with people who had seen the movie about our lives and were inspired to find their own way to give,” he explained.

“My book is as different from the other two as they are different from each other, and I have a couple of goals that I’d like to accomplish with it,” Oher wrote. “The first is that I want to help separate fact from fiction.”

“After the movie came out, there were a lot of people asking me if my life was exactly how it was shown on screen,” he continued. “I hope that I can help to make a little more sense out of it all for them.”

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February 2013: Michael Oher becomes a Super Bowl champ with the Baltimore Ravens

Oher made his Super Bowl debut with the Baltimore Ravens in February 2013, where he and his team clinched a victory over the San Francisco 49ers. The Tuohy family was on the sidelines during the big game.

March 2014: Michael Oher signs with the Tennessee Titans

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Following Oher’s Super Bowl win with the Ravens, Oher signed a four-year contract with the Tennessee Titans in March 2014. He started eleven games before being placed on injured reserve in December due to a toe injury, as reported by Sports Illustrated.

March 2015: Michael Oher signs with the Carolina Panthers

Ric Tapia via AP)

After the Titans released Oher in February 2015, he signed a two-year contract with the Carolina Panthers. He played in the Super Bowl 50 that season, marking his second time in the championships. However, the Carolina Panthers lost to the Denver Broncos.

In June 2016, Oher signed a three-year contract extension with the Panthers. He was placed on injury reserve that November, though, and retired from professional football in 2017.

June 2015: Michael Oher criticizes The Blind Side

In an ESPN interview published in June 2015, Oher shared his opinion of The Blind Side and how it has affected his life. The topic was brought up when he was asked if “he has to prove his worth after struggling the past two seasons” with the Ravens and Titans.

“I’m not trying to prove anything,” Oher said. “People look at me, and they take things away from me because of a movie. They don’t really see the skills and the kind of player I am. That’s why I get downgraded so much, because of something off the field.”

“This stuff, calling me a bust, people saying if I can play or not … that has nothing to do with football,” he continued. “It’s something else off the field. That’s why I don’t like that movie.”

Oher added, “That’s taken away from my football. That’s why people criticize me. That’s why people look at me every single play.”

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August 2, 2020: Michael Oher posts a cryptic tweet about The Blind Side

In August 2020, a Twitter user tagged Michael Oher in a post that read, “The Blind Side is on, so be ready for followers!!.”

The former football player raised eyebrows as he responded: “When they call you family but rob you.”

March 15, 2021: Michael Oher tells PEOPLE he’s ‘still dealing with trauma’

Almost 12 years after the release of The Blind Side, Oher opened up to PEOPLE about his continued healing from a difficult childhood. He spoke about turning to therapy and helping others after the film’s release.

“I’m still traumatized and I still deal with things that I dealt with as a kid,” Oher said. “If you’re still dealing with trauma, [therapy] is definitely needed early on, because I had to do that to get back healthy.”

November 5, 2022: Michael Oher marries Tiffany Roy

Michael Oher Instagram

After 17 years together, Oher tied the knot with his college sweetheart Tiffany Roy in November 2022. The couple’s four children, sons Kobi and MJ and daughters Kierstin and Naivi, were also in attendance for the nuptials.

“The most magical part was our vows,” Roy told PEOPLE exclusively about the wedding. “To hear Mike express his feelings in front of 200-plus people was astonishing and romantic. I really felt like a true Queen.”

Though Oher had previously attended Collins Tuohy’s wedding in October 2016, the Tuohy family was not photographed at Oher’s wedding.

August 8, 2023: Michael Oher releases his book, When Your Back’s Against the Wall

In early August 2023, Oher published another book, When Your Back’s Against the Wall. The “inspiring and motivating” book — co-authored by Oher and Don Yaeger — is about “overcoming any obstacle, no matter how tough the odds.”

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August 14, 2023: Michel Oher files a legal petition to terminate his conservatorship

On Aug. 14, 2023, Oher filed a legal petition to terminate a conservatorship, in which he alleges Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy lied about adopting him while making millions off his name.

In the filing in the Shelby County, Tenn. probate court, Oher claimed the Tuohy family tricked him into making them his conservators when he was 18, allegedly telling him there was no consequential difference between being adopted and entering into a conservatorship.

“Michael trusted the Tuohys and signed where they told him to sign,” the legal filing, obtained by PEOPLE, claims. “What he signed, however, and unknown to Michael until after February 2023, were not adoption papers, or the equivalent of adoption papers.”

Oher also alleged in his petition that the Tuohys, including Leigh Anne and Sean’s two children by birth, Collins Tuohy and Sean Tuohy Jr., were paid $225,000 for the 2009 film The Blind Side along with 2.5% in residual checks over the years since its release, and claims that he does not earn residuals.

The Tuohys, however, alleged in their 2010 book, In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving, that they split the profits “five ways,” according to ESPN, who first reported the news.

August 15, 2023: Michael Oher issues a statement to PEOPLE about the lawsuit

“I am disheartened by the revelation shared in the lawsuit today,” Oher said in a statement, which was issued to PEOPLE on Aug. 15 by a representative for the former NFL player.

Oher’s statement continued, “This is a difficult situation for my family and me. I want to ask everyone to please respect our privacy at this time. For now, I will let the lawsuit speak for itself and will offer no further comment.”

August 15, 2023: Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy’s attorney releases a statement to PEOPLE about Michael Oher’s legal petition

Following Oher’s legal petition, the Tuohy family’s attorney Martin Singer shared a statement to PEOPLE, saying, the Tuohy family “opened their home to Mr. Oher, offered him structure, support, and most of all, unconditional love.”

Singer’s statement continued, claiming, “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.”

The statement also addressed Oher’s previous claims about how the Tuohy family was paid for the 2009 film. “When Michael Lewis, a friend of Sean’s since childhood, was approached about turning his book on Mr. Oher and the Tuohys into a movie about their family, his agents negotiated a deal where they received a small advance from the production company and a tiny percentage of net profits,” the statement read. “They insisted that any money received be divided equally.” Singer’s statement claimed that the Tuohys “have made good on that pledge” to divide the profits equally.

Singer’s statement also claimed that the Tuohys have “always been upfront about” the details of his conservatorship, which was apparently “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.”

Moreover, the attorney’s statement said that Sean and Leigh Anne “will never oppose” the termination of the conservatorship, “either now or at anytime in the future.”

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