Michael Oher’s Foster Brothers Speak Out in New ‘Blindsided’ Doc: Movie Depicts ‘Something That Didn’t Occur’

In the midst of a legal battle between Michael Oher and the Tuohy family over the film’s profits blind side, a new documentary reveals an inside look at the reality of life as a former NFL player.

In CNN FlashDoc Blind, that premiered Thursday, people from Oher’s past talked about the many misconceptions surrounding his upbringing and the story that led to the Oscar-nominated film. Oher’s foster brothers, Nate and Quwanda Hale, said they know firsthand what life at home was like for Oher, 37, and said they were “blessed” to have a foster mother who “took care of us” before Oher moved in with Tuohy family.

“The only thing you want is a family, to feel like, ‘I belong and you want me here,'” Nate said.

IN blind side, the scene shows Oher telling Leigh Anne Tuohy that he’s never had a bed to himself before, but the Hale brothers hit back, saying “that video shows something that didn’t happen.” They argued that it is a requirement of the foster care system that each child “have their own space.”

Leigh Anne Tuohy/ Instagram

Tuohy family lawyers say they will agree to release Michael Oher from conservatorship: ‘I’m glad to do so’

Nate added that Oher was rarely unhappy, as portrayed in the film, and there was a resilient mentality among the foster brothers to move forward with hope. Both Hale brothers shared that Michael had always wanted to play football, saying he “made it very clear” that he wanted the sport to be his future.

“Michael pretty much understood the concept that everyone else understood – this is not the end of your life – let this be a step towards the beginning of a new life,” Nate said.

After Oher began attending Briarcrest Catholic Private School, he met fellow football player Quinteri Franklin, and the two bonded because they were some of the few black students at the school, Franklin said. When Franklin went to see The blind side in theaters, he said he was out.

“I’m embarrassed for him as a friend — it’s not true and it’s painful,” he said, referring to a scene showing the NFL star illiterate in high school.

Scott Cunningham/Getty

Michael Oher, who inspired ‘The Blind Side’, claims the family made millions by lying about his adoption

Oher eventually asked Franklin to move in with his family, where they welcomed him with open arms.

“It was one of the best moments of my life,” Franklin said.

IN blind side, the Tuohy family took in Oher when he had nowhere to go, but Franklin said Oher started staying with the Tuohys for practical reasons because their home was close to the school and Sean Tuohy was the team’s volunteer coach.

Around the same time, Oher rose to the top among high school football players. In the documentary, Tom Lemming, a high school football recruit, said Oher “was one of the top five offensive linemen in the country.”

“He was phenomenal,” added Lemming.

When it came time for graduation, the Tuohy family was closely involved with a scout at Ole Miss, and when Oher revealed he would be attending the university to play football, the Tuohys offered Oher guardianship. They have since said it was a circumvention of NCAA rules at the time. Oher, however, claimed he was told he would be adopted, which is consistent with the language the Tuohys have used in public.

Roy Rochlin/Getty

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

It was at this moment The blind side the movie came out, and in court filings, Oher claims he didn’t receive any profits despite the movie’s huge popularity, but Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy did. He alleges in his petition to dissolve the conservatorship that four members of the Tuohy family – Sean, Leigh Anne and their two children – earned $250,000 directly from the film with 2.5% of the residuals.

The Tuohys denied the claim, along with Alcon Entertainment, which produced it The blind side. In a statement shared with PEOPLE, they said Oher and four members of the Tuohy family were collectively paid approximately $767,000 in payments made through their talent agency for The blind side. Michael Oher received over $138,000 for his rights to The blind sideaccording to a Nov. 9 court filing by the Tuohy family.

Court documents obtained by PEOPLE show that the retired NFL star was paid $138,311.01 in ten installments over a 16-year period by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, starting in 2007 and ending this April.

Sean previously said the guardianship was not to claim Oher’s finances, but to satisfy NCAA rules at the time because Oher was considered a “booster” at Ole Miss and needed to be part of the Tuohy family to attend.

“We’re devastated,” Tuohy said The Daily Memphian. “The thought that we would make money off of any of our children is disturbing. But we will love Michael at 37 as we loved him at 16.”

PEOPLE has reached out to representatives of the Tuohy family for comment.

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In September, a judge ordered Oher released. Before the ruling, the Tuohy family said in a legal response that they “never intended to adopt” Oher and denied they had made a fortune on his name.

“Growing up in a foster family, hearing someone say ‘adopted,’ it’s like the best feeling in the world when you feel like you have no one,” Nate told the cameras. “And to hear people who you think have your best interests at heart say we never intended that — to me, that’s a betrayal.”

Blind is available for streaming on Max.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education