Actress Sandra Bullock is catching strays for her Oscar-winning role in “The Blind Side” after former NFL player Michael Oher – whose real life inspired the film – filed a lawsuit accusing the white couple who took him in of lying and manipulating him for their own financial gain.
In court documents, the former Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle-turned-author alleged he was actually the one blind-sided after learning that Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy never officially adopted him, but instead tricked him into signing a conservatorship that gave them the ability to make decisions on his behalf.
Noting he didn’t really understand how much power the agreement gave the Tuohys and took from him, Oher further accused them of cutting him out of profits from the acclaimed 2009 film. He petitioned the court to have the conservatorship terminated.
“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 for himself,” the court documents state.
In a statement through their attorneys, the Tuohys admitted to the conservatorship, but denied the claims of having impure motives, and accused Oher of orchestrating a “hurtful” $15 million “shakedown” against them. They also said they intend to enter into a consent order to end the conservatorship.
“The notion that a couple worth hundreds of millions of dollars would connive to withhold a few thousand dollars in profit participation payments from anyone – let alone from someone they loved as a son – defies belief,” the family’s attorney Martin Singer told NPR.
In a 2015 interview with ESPN, Oher made it clear that he was not a fan of the movie because it portrayed him as “dumb” and uneducated and he felt in so doing, deprived him of opportunities.
“I’m not trying to prove anything,” Oher said. “People look at me, and they take things away from me because of a movie. They don’t really see the skills and the kind of player I am. That’s why I get downgraded so much, because of something off the field,” Oher said at the time.
While the legal proceedings are in the very preliminary stages, many in the court of public opinion have taken sides. And Bullock’s award-winning portrayal of Leigh Anne in the film have caused some to believe she should not be able to keep her “Best Actress” Oscar.
“If the Michael Oher allegations are true then we have to go AND TAKE THE OSCAR back from Sandra Bullock and give it to Gabourey Sidibe for ‘Precious,’” one user tweeted.
“So Sandra Bullock should have to give back her Oscar right, and man do we need to start checking these good feeling stories,” another user tweeted.
Another wrote, “they need to take away Sandra Bullock’s oscar like they took Reggie Bush’s heisman for this.”
“You might let Sandra Bullock off the hook about The Blind Side, but not me. Here she is, sitting on her then-husband/white supremacist Jesse James’ lap, holding the Oscar she won for playing a white savior,” writer Ola Ojewumi tweeted.
But there were also many who came to Bullock’s defense, including her co-star from “The Blind Side” Quinton Aaron, who portrayed Oher in the film.
“To make a statement like that doesn’t make any sense. Sandra Bullock didn’t have anything to do with the real story that we’re reading as of right now,” Aaron told TMZ Sports in an interview. “She gave a brilliant performance and that shouldn’t be tarnished for something that had nothing to do with her.”
Aaron also said he would have Bullock’s back if necessary.
“That’s my girl and she is going through a really tough time right now. I really feel like they should leave her alone and stop trying to come at her,” Aaron told Yahoo! Entertainment, referring to the recent death of Bullock’s longtime boyfriend Bryan Randall. “Stop trying to come for Sandra because you’re going to make me mad and they are going to have to come through me!”
Others shared Aaron’s sentiment.
“Dear Black Folks: In the wake of the Michael Oher situation here’s what we not gonna do, bother Sandra Bullock & ask her to give back that Academy Award,” one user wrote. “Understand? Leave her alone, Sandra has been & always will be good people.”
“Idgaf what a mf got to say. Y’all not canceling Sandra Bullock over that movie. Y’all better scram and focus y’all outrage on the actual family. Tf is this!?” another echoed.
“And I’m gonna say this ONCE… y’all get up off of Sandra Bullock & Tim McGraw. They’re movie stars & played roles. They’re not the actual people that stole money from Michael Oher,” a third chimed in. “Direct all of that energy towards these Ole Miss alums… Sean & Leigh Anne Tuohy.”
The Oscar wasn’t the only award Bullock received for her performance as Leigh Anne Tuohy in “The Blind Side.” She also received a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award for best actress and leading lady, respectively.
She publicly has not addressed the controversy, but was seen driving around Beverly Hills the day the lawsuit was filed. It was the first public sighting of her since Randall’s death.
While the public waits for the facts to play out, Oher is promoting his new book, “When Your Back’s Against the Wall: Fame, Football and Lessons Learned through a Lifetime of Adversity.”
He’s described the lawsuit as “a difficult situation for my family and me,” and asked for privacy, noting he wouldn’t make comment further on the lawsuit but rather allow it to speak for itself.
