Michael Oher

Michael Oher with Don Yaeger, I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond (Gotham Books, 2011)

Michael Oher's memoir.

Michael Oher with Don Yaeger, When Your Back's Against the Wall: Fame, Football, and Lessons Learned Through a Lifetime of Adversity (Avery, 2023)

His second book.

Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy with Sally Jenkins, In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving (Henry Holt, 2010)

The Tuohys' book.

Read the petition (PDF) at documentcloud.org (opens in a new tab)

(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

02 Court records

Shelby County Probate Court, Petition to Terminate Conservatorship, for Accounting, and Other Relief, No. C-010333, filed August 14, 2023

Michael Oher's petition. Its claims are allegations, and the Tuohys deny them.

Tennessee Supreme Court, Discretionary Appeals List, August 4, 2025

Shows the case still open in mid-2025.

View the list (PDF) at tncourts.gov (opens in a new tab)

03 Reporting on the case

Michael A. Fletcher, “‘Blind Side’ subject Oher alleges Tuohys made millions off lie,” ESPN, August 14, 2023

ESPN, “Tuohys dispute Michael Oher claims, allege ‘shakedown effort,’” August 15, 2023

Read at si.com (opens in a new tab)

Jelani Scott, “Sean Tuohy Responds to Michael Oher's Allegations: ‘It's Upsetting,’” Sports Illustrated, August 15, 2023

Michael A. Fletcher, “Tuohys deny allegations in response to Michael Oher petition,” ESPN, September 14, 2023

ESPN and the Associated Press, “Judge ending Michael Oher conservatorship with Tuohy family,” September 29, 2023

Michael A. Fletcher, “Court doc: Tuohys paid Michael Oher $138K in ‘Blind Side’ profits,” ESPN, November 9, 2023

Michael A. Fletcher, “Michael Oher says Tuohys made ‘false’ claims about money made off his story,” ESPN, November 29, 2023

Read at nytimes.com (opens in a new tab)

Michael Sokolove, “‘The Blind Side’ Made Him Famous. But He Has a Different Story to Tell.,” The New York Times Magazine, August 18, 2024

04 Before and after the film

ABC News, “Real-Life Story Behind ‘The Blind Side,’” December 13, 2009

The Tuohys' first live TV interview.

Read at abcnews.com (opens in a new tab)

David Newton, “Michael Oher gives negative review to effect ‘The Blind Side’ has had,” ESPN, June 17, 2015

Read at baltimoreravens.com (opens in a new tab)

Baltimore Ravens, “Oher's it factor is pride”

His rookie season with the Ravens.

NFL.com, “Panthers release offensive lineman Michael Oher,” July 20, 2017

Read at nfl.com (opens in a new tab)

05 The film

The Blind Side (2009), written and directed by John Lee Hancock, Alcon Entertainment, released by Warner Bros. Pictures

Quinton Aaron plays Michael Oher, Sandra Bullock plays Leigh Anne Tuohy and Tim McGraw plays Sean Tuohy. Short, muted clips from the film are used for commentary, criticism and education, to compare what the film shows with what the record says. All rights remain with their owners.

Blu-ray on Amazon (opens in a new tab)Watch on Prime Video (opens in a new tab)

(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

06 Photo and footage credits

Footage

ABC News, Nightline, 2024

Jim Rome, The Jim Rome Show, CBS Sports Network, 2023

Fox News, Huckabee, 2009

ESPN, Outside the Lines, 2023

CBN News, 2023

Baltimore Ravens, “Michael Oher Joins The Lounge”

Ole Miss Athletics, “All-American Spotlight: Michael Oher”

Ravens highlights, “Michael Oher's rookie season”

Photos (Wikimedia Commons)

Keith Allison, “Michael Oher at Baltimore Ravens Training Camp,” 2009, CC BY-SA 2.0

Jeffrey Beall, “Michael Oher,” 2016, CC BY 4.0

Staff Sgt. Benjamin Hughes, U.S. Air Force, “Michael Oher signs autographs for members of the U.S. Armed Forces,” 2010, public domain

Commons photo 1 (opens in a new tab)Commons photo 2 (opens in a new tab)

Tulane Public Relations, “Michael Oher & Collins Tuohy: Behind the Blind Side,” 2011, CC BY 2.0

Justin Hoch, “Michael Lewis,” 2009, CC BY 2.0