Amid the legal battle betweenMichael Oherand the Tuohy family over profits made from the movieThe Blind Side,a new documentary is revealing an inside look at the reality of the former NFL player’s life.
In the CNN FlashDocBlindsided,which premiered Thursday, people from Oher’s past spoke out about the many misconceptions surrounding his upbringing and the story that led to the Oscar-nominated movie. Oher’s foster brothers Nate and Quwanda Hale said they know first-hand what life at home was really like for Oher, 37, and they said they were “blessed” with a foster mom who “provided for us” before Oher moved in with the Tuohy family.
“The one thing you want is a family, to feel like, ‘I belong and you want me here,’” Nate said.
InThe Blind Side,a scene shows Oher tellLeigh Anne Tuohyhe has never had a bed for himself before, but the Hale brothers pushed back, saying “that video is depicting something that didn’t occur.” They claimed a requirement of the foster system is that each child “have their own space.”
Leigh Anne Tuohy/ Instagram
Nate added that Oher was rarely unhappy, ashe was portrayed in the movie, and there was a resilient mentality among the foster brothers to move forward with hope. Both Hale brothers shared that Michael always wanted to play football, saying “he made that clear” that he wanted the sport to be his future.
“Michael pretty much grasped the concept that everyone else grasped — this is not the end of your life — let this be a step towards the beginning of a new life,” Nate said.
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Once Oher began attending the private Catholic school Briarcrest, he met a fellow football player Quinterio Franklin, and the two bonded because they were some of the few Black students at the school, Franklin said. When Franklin went to seeThe Blind Sidein theaters, he said he walked out.
“I’m embarrassed for him as a friend — it’s not accurate and it’s hurtful,” he said, referring to a scene portraying the NFL star as unable to read and write in high school.
Scott Cunningham/Getty
Oher ended up asking Franklin to move in with his family, where he was welcomed with open arms.
“That was one of the best times of my life,” Franklin said.
InThe Blind Side,theTuohy familytook Oher in when he had nowhere to go, but Franklin said Oher began staying with the Tuohys out of convenience because their home was near the school and Sean Tuohy was a volunteer coach for the team.
Around this same time, Oher had risen to the top of the ranks among high school football players. In the documentary, Tom Lemming, a high school football recruiter, said Oher “was one of the top five offensive linemen nationally.”
“He was phenomenal,” Lemming added.
When it came time to graduate, the Tuohy family had a close connection to the scout at Ole Miss, and when Oher revealed he would be attending the university to play football, the Tuohys proposed a conservatorship to Oher. They have since said this was to circumvent NCAA rules at the time. Oher, however, claimed tohave been told he was to be adopted, which is consistent with language the Tuohys used publicly.
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It was at this point thatThe Blind Sidemovie came out, and in court filings, Oher claims he did notreceive profitdespite the film’s massive popularity, but Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy did. He alleges in hispetition to dissolve conservatorshipthat the four Tuohy family members — Sean, Leigh Anne and their two children — made $250,000 outright from the movie in addition to 2.5% in residuals.
The Tuohys have denied that claim, along with Alcon Entertainment, which producedThe Blind Side. In a statement shared with PEOPLE, they said Oher and the four members of the Tuohy family were collectively paid approximately $767,000 in payments delivered through their talent agency forThe Blind Side. Michael Oher received more than $138,000 for his rights toThe Blind Side, according to a Nov. 9 court filing from the Tuohy family.
Sean has said previously that the conservatorship was not to gain rights to Oher’s financials, but rather to appease the NCAA rules at the time because Oher was considered a “booster” at Ole Miss and needed to be part of the Tuohy family to attend.
“We’re devastated,” Tuohy told theDaily 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.”
PEOPLE has contacted representatives for the Tuohy family for comment.
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In September, a judge ordered Oher bereleased from his conservatorship. Prior to the ruling, the Tuohy family said in a legal response that they “never intended to adopt” Oher and denied enriching themselves off his name.
“Growing up in foster care, to hear someone say ‘adopted,’ that’s like the greatest feeling in the world when you feel like you have nobody,” Nate told the cameras. “And to hear people who you think had your best interest say we never intended to — to me, that’s betrayal.”
Blindsidedis available for streaming on Max.
source: people.com
