Michael Oher says he was never adopted by Tuohy family, asks court to end conservatorship

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) --- Michael Oher, former professional football player, and inspiration for movie "The Blind Side," is making claims against the family who reportedly adopted him years ago.

Oher filed a petition to terminate conservatorship Monday with Shelby County Probate Court, alleging that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy never adopted him, instead convincing him to sign a document making them his conservators.

According to the lore, Sean and Leigh Ann Tuohy adopted Oher when he was in high school, taking him away from the violence and drugs of a Memphis housing project and giving him a chance to change his life.

Oher lived with several families — including the Tuohys, beginning in 2004 — while he played football at Briarcrest Christian School in suburban Memphis. He later played for the University of Mississippi and professionally with the Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers before his life became the subject of a 2009 movie.

In the documents filed Monday, Oher alleges that, while other adults "saw Oher as a nice kid in need, Conservators Sean Tuohy and Leigh Anne Tuohy saw something else: A gullible young man whose athletic talent could be exploited for their benefit."

The petition alleges the couple convinced Oher to sign what he was led to believe were papers that were a necessary step in the adoption process, and to call them "Mom and Dad." But he was never legally adopted by the couple.

"At no point did the Tuohys inform Michael that they would have ultimate control of all his contracts, and as a result Michael did not understand that if the Conservatorship was granted, he was signing away his right to contract himself," the document states.

Oher, now 37, recently appeared Friday on WREG's Live at 9, where he spoke about his new book, the 2009 film about his life and his connection to the Tuohys. (See video above)

"People watching the movie don't understand that I was an All-American football player before I moved in with the Tuohy family," Oher said. "Having young people to see it and say, 'Well, you're making it because you got saved by someone.' And that was never the case."

According to the petition, "The Blind Side" movie has amassed $330 million over the years, and the Tuohys have benefited with a percentage of that money through their conservatorship.

Steve Farese, an attorney representing the Tuohys, said Monday the family had no immediate comment but would file a response at the appropriate time.

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