Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy are calling Michael Oher鈥檚 claims that they enriched themselves at his expense 鈥渙utlandish,鈥� 鈥渉urtful and absurd鈥� and part of a 鈥渟hakedown鈥� by the former NFL offensive tackle, whose relationship with the family was the inspiration for the movie 鈥淭he Blind Side.鈥�
In the statement first issued Tuesday by attorney Martin Singer to TMZ.com and later obtained by The Associated Press, Singer said the Tuohys are heartbroken and accused Oher of threatening to plant a negative story about them unless they paid him $15 million.
Singer said the Tuohys hope Oher regrets his recent decisions and that they can reconcile.
鈥淚n the meantime, however, they will not hesitate to defend their good names, stand up to this shakedown and defeat this offensive lawsuit,鈥� the statement says.
Oher filed a a conservatorship initiated by the Tuohys in 2004 鈥� months after he turned 18.
鈥淥her discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the Conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys,鈥� according to his petition.
He moved in with the Tuohys just before his senior year of high school and later attended Sean Tuohy鈥檚 alma mater, Mississippi. Oher asks for a full accounting of his assets considering his life story produced millions of dollars and he says he received nothing.
Oher, , also asks in the petition that the Tuohys be sanctioned and required to pay both compensatory and punitive damages determined by the court.
The Tuohy family statement says the idea that they sought to profit off Oher is 鈥渘ot only offensive, it is transparently ridiculous.鈥� The statement notes the Tuohys are worth 鈥渉undreds of millions of dollars鈥� and the notion they would 鈥渃onnive to withhold a few thousand dollars鈥� defies belief.
鈥淭hey have consistently treated him like a son and one of their three children,鈥� Singer said in the statement. 鈥淗is 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.鈥�
The statement says agents negotiated a small advance from the production company for the Oscar-nominated movie 鈥淭he Blind Side,鈥� which was based on the book written by Sean Tuohy鈥檚 friend Michael Lewis. That included 鈥渁 tiny percentage of net profits鈥� divided equally with the Tuohys making 鈥済ood on that pledge.鈥�
Singer notes evidence exists in profit participation checks and studio accounting statements for the movie that won for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy.
When Oher refused to cash what the statement calls 鈥渟mall profit checks鈥� as part of his 鈥渟hakedown effort,鈥� the statement says the Tuohys deposited Oher鈥檚 share into a trust account set up for his son.
The Tuohys insist they received 鈥渘ot one penny鈥� as Oher鈥檚 conservators and set it up only to help him with health insurance, a driver鈥檚 license and being admitted to college. The statement says the Tuohys will not oppose Oher鈥檚 wish to end their conservatorship.
Singer said in the statement that Oher has tried this 鈥渟everal times before鈥� only to have attorneys stop representing him once they learned the truth. The statement called this a 鈥渃ynical attempt鈥� as part of Oher鈥檚 latest book tour.
Oher was the 23rd overall pick in the 2009 draft out of Mississippi, and he spent his first five seasons with the Baltimore Ravens where he won a Super Bowl. He played 110 games over eight NFL seasons, including 2014 when he started 11 games for the Tennessee Titans. Oher finished his career with two years in Carolina.
He last played in 2016 and was
