Michael Lewis, the author of “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game,” has responded to Michael Oher’s accusations against Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy.
Oher, the NFL star at the center of “The Blind Side” film, alleged that the Tuohys cut him out of profits from the Oscar-winning movie adaptation and never actually adopted him, instead tricking him into making the couple his conservators.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Lewis denied Oher’s claim that the Tuohys made millions off of the film, while Oher was uncompensated.
“Everybody should be mad at the Hollywood studio system,” Lewis said. “Michael Oher should join the writers strike. It’s outrageous how Hollywood accounting works, but the money is not in the Tuohys’ pockets.”
Lewis told The Washington Post that 20th Century Fox paid $250,000 for the rights to “The Blind Side,” which the author apparently split 50-50 with the Tuohy family. The Tuohys claimed to have split their share evenly amongst their family, including Oher. Lewis told the Post that after taxes and agent fees, he took home around $70,000 for optioning the story. In addition, Lewis said he and the actors — which included Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Tim McGraw and Lily Collins — were offered a share of the movie’s net profits.
Lewis said that after taxes and agent fees, he and the Tuohy family received about $350,000 each from “The Blind Side” movie. According to The Washington Post, “Lewis said the Tuohys planned to share the royalties among the family members, including Oher, but Oher began declining his royalty checks, Lewis said. Lewis said he believed the Tuohy family had deposited Oher’s share in a trust fund for Oher’s son.”
Lewis added that two years ago, Oher called him to ask about doing a speaking tour to make money discussing “The Blind Side” book. The author apparently brought the idea to his agent, but nothing came of it.
“What I feel really sad about is I watched the whole thing up close,” Lewis said. “They showered him with resources and love. That he’s suspicious of them is breathtaking. The state of mind one has to be in to do that — I feel sad for him.”
In his petition, Oher alleged that the Tuohys and their two biological children each made $225,000 plus 2.5% of “defined net proceeds” from “The Blind Side,” while Oher made nothing. Oher purportedly signed a separate contract in 2007 that gave away his life rights to 20th Century Fox “without any payment whatsoever,” but Oher says he does not remember signing that contract and, if he did, no one warned him of its implications. (20th Century Fox did not end up making the movie, which was produced by Alcon Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros.)
With his petition, Oher is asking a Tennessee court to terminate his conservatorship and issue an injunction prohibiting the Tuohys from using his name and likeness. The former Baltimore Ravens player and Super Bowl winner also demands a full accounting of the money earned by the Tuohys using Oher’s name. He is seeking from the Tuohys his “fair share of profits,” plus “unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.”
Oher’s attorney, J. Gerard Stranch IV, did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
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