Former OL Oher Blindsided: Suing Tuohy's Claiming They Never Adopted Him

[Patrick Duffy]

1 hour ago, MJS said:

He probably just let his agent do everything. Many NFL players just focus on football and sign the papers their agents tell them to sign.

 

I don't know, but even so the man/lady has to be there in a true conservatorship and considering such a huge, life changing moment for himself and them I highly doubt that in such dream come true event that is monumental in ways changing everything. That moment becomes reality with his rookie contract signing. Don't see how in such an event Oher or anyone else would just "let the agent do everything" and not be involved.

 

I understand what you're saying that may explain it, but I assume you would mostly agree  how very unlikely those 2 are.

 

All I mean is it's kinda strange 

Edited August 16, 2023 by Patrick Duffy

[MJS]

1 hour ago, Patrick Duffy said:

 

I don't know, but even so the man/lady has to be there in a true conservatorship and considering such a huge, life changing moment for himself and them I highly doubt that in such dream come true event that is monumental in ways changing everything. That moment becomes reality with his rookie contract signing. Don't see how in such an event Oher or anyone else would just "let the agent do everything" and not be involved.

 

I understand what you're saying that may explain it, but I assume you would mostly agree  how very unlikely those 2 are.

 

All I mean is it's kinda strange 

The conservatorship and his rookie contract are two different things. He could have understood one and not the other.

Edited August 16, 2023 by MJS

[SoTier]

3 hours ago, Patrick Duffy said:

 

Didn't read through entire thread just yet so sorry if it's been addressed already, but question regarding the "conservatorship"......If it was a true conservatorship, wouldn't that mean they would have had some sort of control, involvement etc in the NFL contract that was signed with Ravens as a rookie? I'm not exactly sure so could be mistaken....

 

But if not, in that case I don't see how he learned about it recently. He would have known then at that point right? Correct me if I'm wrong here.....

 

According to the court filing, Oher's new lawyer discovered the conservatorship in February, 2023.  My guess is that the Touheys didn't exercise as much control over Oher as they could have, so he didn't question anything until after he retired.

 

Oher's agent when he signed his first NFL contract (and maybe his subsequent contract(s)) was described in one of the articles quoted upthread as a close personal friend of the Touheys.  This same lawyer set up the conservatorship, which was set up when Oher was just 18.   Oher claims in court papers that he thought he was being adopted by the Touheys when he signed the conservatorship agreement, and the Touheys have represented the legal proceeding as adoption for years.  Sean Touhey has also claimed that they couldn't adopt Oher because he was over 18, so they had to do the conservatorship, but Tennessee allows adult adoption so that statement by Touhey is untrue.

 

50 minutes ago, Patrick Duffy said:

 

I don't know, but even so the man/lady has to be there in a true conservatorship and considering such a huge, life changing moment for himself and them I highly doubt that in such dream come true event that Oher or anyone else would just "let the agent do everything" and not be involved.

 

I understand what you're saying that may explain it, but I assume you would mostly agree  how very unlikely those 2 are.

 

All I mean is it's kinda strange 

 

I think that Oher trusted the Touheys and his agent (the Touheys' friend) to take care of his interests because he thought he was truly part of their family so he never questioned much.   I think that he feels betrayed and exploited by the Touheys, and that's what has prompted the lawsuit. 

 

[syhuang]

I find below interesting. In Michael Oher's own book "I Beat the Odds" in 2011 (note: not Michael Lewis' famous book "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game" in 2006, which the movie bases on), it has mentioned Sean and Leigh Anne would be named as my "legal conservators" in page 168.

 

Oher's book was published in 2011 so it doesn't look like the whole adoption and conservatorship thing is something Oher just found out recently.

 

 

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FAQ: Sorting out the biggest claims in 'Blind Side' controversy

 

On Page 168 of his 2011 bestseller, "I Beat the Odds," Oher describes the legal process of joining the Tuohy family in the summer after he graduated high school:

 

Leigh Anne and Sean had already assumed responsibility for me as guardians, which allowed them to sign my school permission slips and take me to medical appointments. This last step was the one that would make everything binding.

 

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." 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.

 

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Edited August 16, 2023 by syhuang

[SoTier]

1 minute ago, syhuang said:

I find below interesting. In Michael Other's own book "I Beat the Odds" in 2011 (note: not Michael Lewis' famous book "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game" in 2006, which the movie bases on), it has mentioned Sean and Leigh Anne would be named as my "legal conservators" in page 168.

 

Oher's book was published in 2011 so it doesn't look like the whole adoption and conservatorship thing is something Oher just found out recently.

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------

FAQ: Sorting out the biggest claims in 'Blind Side' controversy

 

On Page 168 of his 2011 bestseller, "I Beat the Odds," Oher describes the legal process of joining the Tuohy family in the summer after he graduated high school:

 

Leigh Anne and Sean had already assumed responsibility for me as guardians, which allowed them to sign my school permission slips and take me to medical appointments. This last step was the one that would make everything binding.

 

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." 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.

 

--------------------------------------------------------

 

The Touheys lied to Oher because a conservatorship is not an adoption.  The law in Tennessee allows for adult adoptions.  They chose to use a conservatorship rather than a simple adult adoption. 

[syhuang]

1 minute ago, SoTier said:

 

The Touheys lied to Oher because a conservatorship is not an adoption.  The law in Tennessee allows for adult adoptions.  They chose to use a conservatorship rather than a simple adult adoption. 

 

Could be, but it looks like Oher was already aware of the conservatorship as early as 2011 based on his book published that year.

[unbillievable]

11 minutes ago, syhuang said:

 

Could be, but it looks like Oher was already aware of the conservatorship as early as 2011 based on his book published that year.

 

He knew about it, but says that he believed it was the same as adoption.

 

The only thing an adoption grants an adult are heredity rights on the family's estate. Oher wants some of that $200mil Tuoy money!

[syhuang]

16 minutes ago, unbillievable said:

 

He knew about it, but says that he believed it was the same as adoption.

 

The only thing an adoption grants an adult are heredity rights on the family's estate. Oher wants some of that $200mil Tuoy money!

I see. By the following article, it seems like he knew the difference few years ago. I guess more detail will come out during the lawsuit  including their group text messages, profit participation checks, studio accounting statements, etc.

 

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https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/nation-world/tuohy-family-responds-michael-oher-conservatorship-lawsuit/507-33c8dd94-c0fe-4738-85a4-ade729b9bcf2

 

The family's biological son, Sean "SJ" Tuohy Jr., who is featured heavily in "The Blind Side," told Barstool Sports that he had found old family texts indicating Oher may have been aware of the conservatorship as early as 2020, three years earlier than what Oher's court filing said. 

 

"If he says he learned that in February, I find that hard to believe," Tuohy Jr. told Barstool Sports Monday. "I went back to my texts today ... to look at our family group text and texts to see what things have been said. There were things back in 2020, 2021 that were like, ‘If you guys give me this much, then I won’t go public with things.’ So I don’t know if that’s true. I think everyone learned in the past year about the conservatorship stuff because of Britney Spears, so maybe that’s the case, but it doesn’t add up."

 

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Edited August 16, 2023 by syhuang

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

32 minutes ago, SoTier said:

 

The Touheys lied to Oher because a conservatorship is not an adoption.  The law in Tennessee allows for adult adoptions.  They chose to use a conservatorship rather than a simple adult adoption. 

 

16 minutes ago, unbillievable said:

 

He knew about it, but says that he believed it was the same as adoption.

 

The only thing an adoption grants an adult are heredity rights on the family's estate. Oher wants some of that $200mil Tuoy money!

its seems like both sides basically treated the two things (conservatorship and adoption) as the same in their minds. They just wanted to make it “legal.”  So, I don’t get what the big deal is. 

[soflabillsfan1]

1 hour ago, SoTier said:

 

The Touheys lied to Oher because a conservatorship is not an adoption.  The law in Tennessee allows for adult adoptions.  They chose to use a conservatorship rather than a simple adult adoption. 

A simple adult adoption that required getting both his crackhead Mom and runaway Dad to show up in court.  Good luck with that.  You also kept referring to the "family friend" lawyer. That guy is Jimmy Sexton.  One of the most powerful, respected agents in all of sports.  Oher is going to come out looking bad in this but it doesn't matter.

[Doc]

So he knew of the conservatorship as early as 2011.  Sorry but that's on him.

 

Open up the books and see how much the Tuohys made from TBS versus Oher.  If it's substantially more, cut him a check and tell him to have a nice life.  But make sure to deduct the amount of the tutor, living expenses, food, online courses, gas to and from practice, etc.

[BillsShredder83]

1 hour ago, soflabillsfan1 said:

A simple adult adoption that required getting both his crackhead Mom and runaway Dad to show up in court.  Good luck with that.  You also kept referring to the "family friend" lawyer. That guy is Jimmy Sexton.  One of the most powerful, respected agents in all of sports.  Oher is going to come out looking bad in this but it doesn't matter.

48hrs later and its looking a lot like Oher was given awful advice.  In the mean time the family has been dragged for taking in a homeless kid, feeding him, loving him, helping him get into school. opening your home up to a stranger is no small deal.  theyve been called crooks and white saviors and all sorts of nasty ****. 

 

like always, the headline will be their lasting impression by a large chunk of the public when it comes out the family did no wrong. it'll be a quick blurb, no apologizing and the accusation will stick for many.  unreal levels of ungratefulness, all around.  no apologies or retractions from anyone.

 

cant help but wonder if white foster parents dont give pause to adopting anyone thats not white because of the odd 'white savior' stigma.  of course plenty of folks will take in foster kids anyways, but somewhere down the line i see even one (more?) black kid not being adopted out of fear of the label. unreal

[Doc]

1 minute ago, BillsShredder83 said:

48hrs later and its looking a lot like Oher was given awful advice.  In the mean time the family has been dragged for taking in a homeless kid, feeding him, loving him, helping him get into school. opening your home up to a stranger is no small deal.  theyve been called crooks and white saviors and all sorts of nasty ****. 

 

like always, the headline will be their lasting impression by a large chunk of the public when it comes out the family did no wrong. it'll be a quick blurb, no apologizing and the accusation will stick for many.  unreal levels of ungratefulness, all around.  no apologies or retractions from anyone.

 

cant help but wonder if white foster parents dont give pause to adopting anyone thats not white because of the odd 'white savior' stigma.  of course plenty of folks will take in foster kids anyways, but somewhere down the line i see even one (more?) black kid not being adopted out of fear of the label. unreal

 

Yeah and they did it without knowing a) there would be a story to sell and b) that he'd even be able to play college football, much less make $34.5M in the NFL.

[dave mcbride]

https://wapo.st/3OZ8zLj
 

i strongly recommend reading this Washingon Post piece, which features an interview with Michael Lewis. It may change views on this whole situation.

[Doc]

Maybe it's CTE?

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

Maybe it's CTE?

I actually thought that, as well. 

[BillsShredder83]

This is not at all a slam on the mods, just commentary how a story like this naturally works.

 

Thread has been moved to off the wall, as even the book writer says there was no real money, and his share is in a trust.  Looks pretty certain the family is going to be cleared on this.

 

Yet if you threw a poll up on the main page about, Are The Tuoys a Greedy Family........ there would be a sizeable amount of yes responses.

 

It's a microcosm of how these stories work right here. Amplify this over the entire country and we probably have somewhere between 30-50% of the country who now believe this family is scum.... a family who did an absolutely selfless good deed and showered a broken kid with love.

 

It grinds me gears

[Doc]

56 minutes ago, BillsShredder83 said:

This is not at all a slam on the mods, just commentary how a story like this naturally works.

 

Thread has been moved to off the wall, as even the book writer says there was no real money, and his share is in a trust.  Looks pretty certain the family is going to be cleared on this.

 

Yet if you threw a poll up on the main page about, Are The Tuoys a Greedy Family........ there would be a sizeable amount of yes responses.

 

It's a microcosm of how these stories work right here. Amplify this over the entire country and we probably have somewhere between 30-50% of the country who now believe this family is scum.... a family who did an absolutely selfless good deed and showered a broken kid with love.

 

It grinds me gears

 

That's the media for you.

[boyst]

1 hour ago, BillsShredder83 said:

This is not at all a slam on the mods, just commentary how a story like this naturally works.

 

Thread has been moved to off the wall, as even the book writer says there was no real money, and his share is in a trust.  Looks pretty certain the family is going to be cleared on this.

 

Yet if you threw a poll up on the main page about, Are The Tuoys a Greedy Family........ there would be a sizeable amount of yes responses.

 

It's a microcosm of how these stories work right here. Amplify this over the entire country and we probably have somewhere between 30-50% of the country who now believe this family is scum.... a family who did an absolutely selfless good deed and showered a broken kid with love.

 

It grinds me gears

The average person has no interest in truth anymore. They only care about the feelings of righteousness. Few will look beyond 3' of this upon first reading this and realize there is probably more. 

 

Those that jump to conclusions oe hold the strong opinions based on emotions and their emotional immaturity are the worst types of people. 

[hondo in seattle]

5 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

https://wapo.st/3OZ8zLj
 

i strongly recommend reading this Washingon Post piece, which features an interview with Michael Lewis. It may change views on this whole situation.

 

Some quotes from Lewis...

 

“Everybody should be mad at the Hollywood studio system.  Michael Oher should join the writers strike. It’s outrageous how Hollywood accounting works, but the money is not in the Tuohys’ pockets.”

 

“What I feel really sad about is I watched the whole thing up close.  They showered him with resources and love. That he’s suspicious of them is breathtaking. The state of mind one has to be in to do that — I feel sad for him.”