Michael Oher Acknowledged The Tuohys Were His 'Legal Conservators' In His Own Memoir Written In 2011
Many aspects of the Michael Oher - Tuohy family situation have felt off from the get-go of this now nearly week-old saga. The timing of it all has undoubtedly been the most-fishy part of the entire thing.
Oher is alleging the Tuohys never legally adopted him. He claims he was tricked him into signing a document making them his conservators shortly after he turned 18. This allegedly resulted in him losing power over his finances and missing out on millions of dollars from "The Blind Side."
Oher, now 37, alleges that he only found out about the Tuohys being his legal conservators in February 2023.
Based on his own book published in 2011, that simply isn't true.
Michael Oher alleged that he only found out that he wasn't legally adopted by the Tuohy family in February 2023. (Photo by Matthew Sharpe/Getty Images)
Oher specifically wrote about Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy becoming his conservators in his memoir 'I Beat The Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond.'
Excerpts From Michael Oher's 2011 Book
"It kind of felt like a formality, as I'd been a part of the family for more than a year at that point. Since I was already over the age of eighteen and considered an adult by the state of Tennessee, Sean and Leigh Anne would be named as my 'legal conservators,'" Oher writes in the book.
"They explained to me that it means pretty much the exact same thing as 'adoptive parents. But that the laws were just written in a way that took my age into account. Honestly, I didn't care what it was called. I was just happy that no one could argue that we weren't legally what we already knew was real: We were a family."
So, not only did Oher acknowledge that he was signing documents to make the Tuohys his legal conservators at the time, but he also admitted that he was happy to do so.
Another wrinkle in the timing of Oher's petition is that he is currently on tour promoting his new book. He recently held a book signing in Oxford, Miss. where he played college football at Ole Miss.
Sean Tuohy called Oher's allegations "devastating" shortly after the petition was filed in court. He denied the claims that his family tricked the former NFL lineman into signing conservator documents.