What We Know About Michael Oher and His New Legal Petition

While there are plenty of memorable sports movies, few resonated with fans as much as The Blind Side. The 2009 film, which was based on a 2006 book of the same name, told the story of Michael Oher, who rose from poverty with help from his adoptive family and ultimately reached the NFL.

That feel-good story spoke to movie-goers and earned the film plenty of positive press, but it now seems like there could be more to the story than once thought.

Ohler has filed a petition alleging that he wasn't actually adopted, and that the Tuohys have profited from a lie.

Here's everything you need to know about Oher and his legal petition.

Who is Michael Oher?

In the world of professional football, offensive linemen can be largely anonymous. Their work is unglamorous and doesn't show up in the stat sheet. Add helmets and facemasks into the equation, and it's tough to pick a single player out of the lineup. Michael Oher, however, transcended the position.

As documented in a 2006 New York Times Magazine write-up, Oher grew up in poverty and struggled in school; he was frequently absent and shuffled through the system with unwarranted passing grades. Ultimately, though, he found his way to Briarcrest Christian School, where he ended up on the gridiron. And, during his time there, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, who had children attending the school, adopted Oher.

The lineman eventually attended the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and made a name for himself on the football field. He later entered into the 2009 NFL Draft and joined the Baltimore Ravens as a first-round pick. Oher would play more than 100 games in the pros, suiting up for three organizations, and winning a championship ring with the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII.

His story, on the whole, was something of a modern sports fairy tale.

Oher alleges that adoption never happened

A central part of The Blind Side is that Oher was adopted by the Tuohy family, who helped him channel his talents into football. In real life, though, the offensive lineman is alleging that there's more to the story than what we saw on screen.

According to Michael A. Fletcher of ESPN, Oher petitioned a Tennessee court Monday with allegations that a central element of the story was a lie concocted by the family to enrich itself at his expense.

"The 14-page petition, filed in Shelby County, Tennessee, probate court, alleges that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, who took Oher into their home as a high school student, never adopted him. Instead, less than three months after Oher turned 18 in 2004, the petition says, the couple tricked him into signing a document making them his conservators, which gave them legal authority to make business deals in his name."

According to Oher, who is now 37, he was falsely told that there wasn't a real difference between an adoption and a conservatorship. The petition argues that the latter actually surrendered control of his financial affairs to the conservators.

What is Oher seeking with his petition?

By filing the petition, Oher is asking the court to end the conservatorship. There's also more at play.

"Oher's petition asks the court to end the Tuohys' conservatorship and to issue an injunction barring them from using his name and likeness," Fletcher wrote. "It also seeks a full accounting of the money the Tuohys earned using Oher's name, and to have the couple pay him his fair share of profits, as well as unspecified compensatory and punitive damages."

The ESPN write-up also provided a quote from the petition.

"Since at least August of 2004, Conservators have allowed Michael, specifically, and the public, generally, to believe that Conservators adopted Michael and have used that untruth to gain financial advantages for themselves and the foundations which they own or which they exercise control," the document reads. "All monies made in said manner should in all conscience and equity be disgorged and paid over to the said ward, Michael Oher."

What prompted Oher's petition?

Given that The Blind Side hit theaters in 2009, you might wonder why Oher is bringing this petition forward now. He addresses that in his new book, When Your Back's Against the Wall.

"There has been so much created from The Blind Side that I am grateful for, which is why you might find it as a shock that the experience surrounding the story has also been a large source of some of my deepest hurt and pain over the past 14 years," Oher wrote, according to Fletcher. "Beyond the details of the deal, the politics, and the money behind the book and movie, it was the principle of the choices some people made that cut me the deepest."

At this point, it remains to be seen how the process will play out. Oher's petition will have to be addressed, but the ESPN report didn't allude to any specific timeline.

Newsweek reached out to the Tuohy family, Oher and his lawyer for comment.

Oher has since issued the following statement:

"I am disheartened by the revelation shared in the lawsuit today. This is a difficult
situation for my family and me. I want to ask everyone to please respect our
privacy at this time. For now, I will let the lawsuit speak for itself and will offer no
further comment."