Sean Tuohy ‘Devastated’ by ‘Blind Side’ Claims, Calls Them ‘Insulting’

Sean Tuohy says he’s “devastated” by accusations by Michael Oher.

The former NFL and Ole Miss offensive lineman claimed that Tuohy, his wife Leigh Anne, and their children made “millions of dollars” from the football star, who was the subject of the Oscar-winning film The Blind Side.

Oher made the claims in legal documents filed Monday — and reviewed by The Messenger -- that stated he wasn’t adopted but instead was under a conservatorship.

“We’re devastated,” Tuohy said in an interview with the Daily Memphian. “It’s upsetting to think we would make money off any of our children. But we’re going to love Michael at 37 just like we loved him at 16.”

In the petition, Oher claimed that the Tuohy family tricked him into signing a document that made them his conservators and they made millions in profits from the movie that told their story, but Oher got nothing. He claims the film “would not have existed without him.”

Tuohy, however, says the conservatorship was done to comply with NCAA rules as Oher decided which college he would attend. By doing so, Tuohy was able to qualify as a “booster” of Ole Miss athletics, he said.

“Michael was obviously living with us for a long time, and the NCAA didn’t like that,” Tuohy told the Daily Memphian. “They said the only way Michael could go to Ole Miss was if he was actually part of the family. I sat Michael down and told him, ‘If you’re planning to go to Ole Miss — or even considering Ole Miss — we think you have to be part of the family. This would do that, legally.’ We contacted lawyers who had told us that we couldn’t adopt over the age of 18. The only thing we could do was to have a conservatorship. We were so concerned it was on the up-and-up that we made sure the biological mother came to court.”

Apparently, the conservatorship still exists, as now Tuohy says the family will end it to comply with Oher’s wishes.

Tuohy denies that the family cashed in on the film and told the Daily Memphian that he was already well off after selling the majority of his fast-food franchises for more than $200 million.

“We didn’t make any money off the movie,” Tuohy said, per the report. “Well, Michael Lewis [the author of the book The Blind Side] gave us half of his share. Everybody in the family got an equal share, including Michael. It was about $14,000, each.

“We were never offered money. We never asked for money. My money is well-documented. You can look up how much I sold my company for.

“I will say it’s upsetting that people would think I would want to make money off any of my children,” he added.