“The Blind Side”, a 2009 feel-good film, tells the real-life story of the former NFL player Micheal Oher. The movie is highly regarded and won several awards, including the “Best Sports Movie” Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (ESPY) Award in 2010. The story portrayed within the film is heartwarming, but recent developments have created controversy regarding the reality of the Tuohy family’s relationship with Oher.
The movie depicts the Tuohy family as Oher’s saving grace. Oher’s character in the movie is homeless, does poorly in school, and has little to no experience with sports. However, in reality, Oher was well on his way to becoming an NFL star before the Tuohy family stepped in. He wasn’t even homeless upon meeting them. Additionally, Oher was temporarily staying with Big Tony, a character portrayed with a much smaller role in the movie than he actually had in Oher’s life. Oher is reduced to an impotent, slow-witted kid without the potential to prosper on his own. The movie diminishes Oher’s mentionable efforts to succeed before the Tuohys were present to encourage him. Oher suffered through the real story of his childhood experiences, and was rewarded with a degrading movie portrayal from which he made no profit.
If the inaccuracies in the movie aren’t enough cause for discourse, the Tuohys never legally adopted Oher. This major plot point has recently come to the public’s attention after Oher filed a lawsuit against the Tuohys for tricking him into signing into a conservatorship, a legal status allowing a person to manage the financial and personal affairs of a minor or incapacitated person. A conservatorship does not involve the parental duties an adoption requires.
According to Oher, during his childhood he was led to believe the documents he signed would legally make him a part of the family. He was extremely upset upon realizing that it in fact provided him with no familial relations to the Tuohys. The conservatorship also funneled all the money Oher should have accumulated from “The Blind Side” to Sean and Leigh Ann Tuohy’s biological children. Based on the information recently brought to the public eye, it’s clear that the Tuohys intended to recruit Oher. It was never a matter of adding Oher to the family: he was viewed as a dollar sign from the start.
This seems to be an extension of what is known as the evangelical adoption crusade. This is a development in modern society where white, Christian families seek ‘to save’ orphaned children who are often ethnic minorities. Entirely intended to impress the other members of said family’s community, they want to be praised for their charity and outstanding humanity. It’s an appalling manifestation of white savior complex that gives adopted children a false sense of family. A real family isn’t built off of financial or status-based motivators to provide care. The Tuohys lied by omission, choosing to not explain the legal meaning of the documents Oher was signing. In interviews, the Tuohys have claimed to be “devastated” by Oher’s lawsuit. But based on their past actions, I don’t feel they have the right to be upset. The lawsuit Oher has filed against the Tuohys is long overdue. Oher deserves for his story to be told in a far more flattering light.
Recently, justice was served to Oher on September 29, 2023, with the Tennessee Court ending the conservatorship that he was tricked into signing. It is a deserved enactment of justice not only for the “Blind Side” family, but for all corrupt custody arrangements.
