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Michael Lewis, author of the book The Blind Side, has responded to the accusations made by Michael Oher against his “adoptive” family, the Touhys.
In the days since former NFL lineman Michael Oher dropped some bombshell claims about the family depicted in the popular film about his youth, there have been two distinct sides being taken.
Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, the people who took Oher in as a troubled youth, claim they were stunned by the allegations.
“We’re devastated,” said Sean Tuohy. “It’s upsetting to think we would make money off any of our children.”
A lawyer for the Touhy family also claimed that Michael Oher has tried to “shake them down” for millions on more than one previous occasion.
Meanwhile, several residents of Memphis – home of the Touhys – claim Sean and Leigh Anne aren’t exactly the best of people.
And then there is Sandra Bullock, who portrayed Leigh Anne Touhy in The Blind Side, who is reportedly “heartbroken” over the squabbling.
One person who had a front row seat to what actually happened between the Touhy family and Michael Oher is the author of the 2006 book that the movie is based upon: Michael Lewis.
Lewis, also well-known for his books Moneyball, The Big Short and others, told the Washington Post this week that 20th Century Fox paid $250,000 for the option to make The Blind Side into a movie, which he split 50-50 with the Tuohy family.
The Touhys have said that they then split their $125,000 share evenly among their family members, including Michael Oher.
Fox, however, never made the movie. (According to Lewis, the studio had thought Julia Roberts would be interested in the film, but she wasn’t.) Instead, Lewis said, Alcon, a small production company backed by Tuohy’s neighbor, FedEx CEO Fred Smith, stepped in. Instead of paying the actors large salaries, Lewis said, they were offered a share of the profits. Lewis said his deal provided him a share of the movie’s net profits, too. Warner Bros. distributed the movie.
Lewis claims that when all was said and done he and the Touhy family ended up earning around $350,000 each from the film.
The author also claims that when the Touhys attempted to share the royalties with Oher, but Oher began declining his royalty checks.
“What I feel really sad about is I watched the whole thing up close,” Lewis said. “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.”
Oher earned more than $34 million during his nine-year NFL carer playing for the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, and Carolina Panthers.