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The Blind Side is a pretty divisive movie with plenty of critics, and it would appear four-time NFL Pro Bowler Willie Anderson counts himself among its detractors when you consider he partially blames it for keeping him out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In 2006, acclaimed author Michael Lewis published The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, which revolved around the rise of the West Coast offense and the increased importance of the left tackle position in NFL defensive schemes.
The book featured an in-depth look at the inspiring story of Michael Oher, whose life got the Hollywood treatment three years later courtesy of the movie where Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy, the matriarch of the family that took him in as a teenager.
The Blind Side received a fair amount of backlash upon its release due to people who asserted the dramatized account of Oher’s journey strayed into White Savior territory, and the man who found himself waging a legal battle with the Tuohys last year has made it clear he wasn’t thrilled with the film’s decision to frame him as a mentally deficient simpleton.
Now, it’s found itself on the receiving end of some hate for a fairly unexpected reason courtesy of longtime Cincinnati Bengals tackle Willie Anderson.
Anderson spent 12 years in the NFL and earned First Team All-Pro honors three consecutive times starting in 2004, which made him the first right tackle to achieve that particular feat since the 1970s.
No one at that position has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame since Rayfield Wright was enshrined in Canton in 2006, and Anderson recently told Kay Adams he feels he deserves the honor while pointing the finger at The Blind Side for keeping him out.
3-time HOF finalist Willie Anderson blames the movie "The Blind Side" for why he's not in Canton yet 😭🔊
It's been 18 YEARS since a RIGHT TACKLE has been inducted into the @ProFootballHOF 👀@BigWillie7179 @heykayadams @OLMasterminds pic.twitter.com/m1hpJkzUSP
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) July 18, 2024
He explained his rationale, saying:
“I think the media had a bias because they just didn’t understand the importance of the guys we blocked over there were some of the best rushers of all time.
The whole Blind Side thing got taken out because of the movie and the right side guys got pushed away.”
He also added the younger players he trains at his football academy in Atlanta want to play left tackle as opposed to right because of the prestige (and money) currently associated with the position compared to guys on the other side of the defensive line, although he does think to seem the tides are slowly turning.