Former NFL player, Michael Oher had a difficult upbringing: from his real mom being a drug addict to his dad being murdered in jail. His family explored amid The Touhys’ ‘The Blind Side’ lawsuit.

Michael Oher has become one of the most popular football players of this generation because of his backstory. He spent eight seasons in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl title with the Baltimore Ravens.

Oher retired from football five years ago, after an impressive career as an offensive tackle. But Oher continues to amaze many even after retirement by helping local communities via his Oher Foundation.

Oher was also the star attraction and inspiration behind Michael Lewis’ book, ‘The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game.’

Michael Oher’s life story inspired the movie The Blind Side. Almost 14 years after the release of the film, Michael Oher’s family is making headlines once again. 

On Aug. 14, the retired NFL star whose life inspired the Oscar-nominated film, filed a legal petition to terminate a conservatorship alleging Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy lied about adopting him while making millions off his name.

In a filing in the Shelby County, Tenn. probate court, Oher claimed the Tuohy family tricked him into making them his conservators when he was 18, allegedly telling him there was no consequential difference between being adopted and entering into a conservatorship.

Oher also alleged in his petition that the Tuohys, including Leigh Anne and Sean’s two children by birth, Collins Tuohy and Sean Tuohy Jr., were paid $225,000 for the 2009 film The Blind Side plus 2.5% of the film’s proceeds, and did not include him in the deal.

The Tuohys, however, alleged in their 2010 book, In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving, that they split the profits “five ways,” according to ESPN, who first reported the news.

Following the lawsuit, many are curious to know more about the athlete’s family; including his biological parents, adoptive guardians and his sibings. Here’s everything to know about Oher and where the Tuohy family is now. 

Who are Michael Oher’s biological parents?

Michael Oher was born on May 28, 1986 in Memphis, Tennessee, United States.

Oher’s biological parents are Denise Oher (mother) and Michael Jerome Williams (father).

His mom, Denise, was an alcoholic and crack cocaine addict while his dad, Michael, was usually arrested and jailed.

His real mother, Denise, had 12 children including “The Blind Side” star.

While young, he received poor upbringing with little attention or discipline during his childhood. This led him to constantly repeat in school and even attended eleven different schools during his first nine years as a student.

In 2004 when Oher was in high school, his dad, who was a cellmate of his spouse’s brother, was murdered in jail.

He was placed in foster care at age seven, and alternated between living in various foster homes and periods of homelessness.

Who are Michael Oher’s adoptive parents?

At the foster care, Michael Oher was adopted by new couple; Sean Tuohy and Leigh Anne Tuohy when he was 16. At age 17, the Tuohys became Oher’s legal guardians.

They hired Oher a tutor, who worked with him on schoolwork for 20 hours a week. They were supportive of his talent and became his biggest supporters.

Oher began playing football during his freshman year at a public high school in Memphis. In his junior year, Oher began to excel in football.

Though he received scholarship offers from a number of colleges after high school, Oher ultimately decided to play football at the University of Mississippi, the alma mater of Leigh Anne and Sean. In 2009, he graduated with a degree in criminal justice. 

That same year, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens during the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. The Tuohy family was by his side for the special honor. The family also cheered on Oher at the 2013 Super Bowl, when the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers. Following his Super Bowl win, Oher played for the Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers before retiring from professional football in 2017. 

Oher’s relationship with the Tuohy family began to fall apart after the release of The Blind Side, which he said bothered him because it depicted him as unintelligent. He then learned he was the only member of the family not receiving royalty checks from the film, his attorney J. Gerard Stranch IV told ESPN.

Sean Tuohy

Sean (pictured right) was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, before attending the University of Mississippi where he played basketball and met his future wife Leigh Anne. The couple tied the knot in 1982 before welcoming two children together, a daughter named Collins and a son named Sean Jr. 

Following graduation, Sean was drafted by the NBA’s New Jersey Nets in 1982, but he opted to “continue his career overseas before returning to the US to be with his father during his final days,” per his bio on his wife’s official website. The website adds that he “became a successful entrepreneur building a company that now owns and operates fast food restaurants including Taco Bell, KFC and Freddy’s.” 

Sean and Leigh Anne were the subjects of Michael Lewis’ 2006 book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, and its 2009 feature film adaptation, The Blind Side, which detailed their raising of Oher. 

Following the film’s release, Sean and Leigh Anne released In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving and established their charity, The Making it Happen Foundation, which “promotes awareness, provides help, and seeks to improve the standard of living for all the children fighting to survive in the invisible cracks in society,” per Leigh Anne’s website. 

In February 2013, the Tuohy family was on the sidelines as Oher competed in the Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens. Though Sean isn’t very active on social media, fans immediately took notice of how Oher was absent from the family’s Easter celebration in 2016. A few months earlier, Sean had posted a photo with Oher, saying he was “proud” of him. 

Leigh Anne Tuohy

Leigh Anne was born and raised in Memphis, Tenn, before attending college at the University of Mississippi. While studying at the university, where she was a cheerleader and member of the Kappa Delta sorority, she met her future husband Sean. 

Leigh Anne describes herself as a “motivational speaker and an interior designer by trade” on her website, with her work featured on numerous TV shows including HGTV, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Designing on a Dime and Family Addition. 

In addition to writing In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving with her husband and establishing their charity The Making it Happen Foundation, she released a five-day-per-week devotional titled Turn Around in 2015. 

Although Oher’s recent petition against Sean and Leigh Anne claims the couple never adopted him, Leigh Anne refers to Oher as her “adopted son” on her website. She also lists herself as a “mother to 3 great kids” on her Instagram bio. 

Oher has been featured on Leigh Anne’s Instagram in a number of throwback posts, including one from 2021 where she reflected on a big win with the Panthers five years prior. “In the last few years I’ve truly realized we all have an expiration date so live everyday to the fullest!” she captioned the post in part. “Surround yourself with people who are encouraging, inspiring and motivating. Be generous and less judgemental. But more than anything be the reason that someone believes in the goodness of God!” 

Who are Michael Oher’s siblings?

The former NFL player has 11 siblings from his real mother’s side. The names of his mom, Denise’s kids, are not known to the media yet.

From his adopted parents’ side, he had two other siblings whose names are Collins Tuohy Smith and Sean Tuohy Jr.

In total, Oher has 13 siblings.

Collins Tuohy Smith

Per Leigh’s website, “Collins grew close to Michael” as they attended Briarcrest Christian School together, and “she helped him adjust to both Briarcrest and his new life with the Tuohy family.” The two also bonded over their athletic pursuits as Collins won the Tennessee State Championship in the Pole Vault and Michael earned All-State honors in the discus and basketball championships.

Like her parents, Collins attended the University of Mississippi where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism. According to Leigh’s website, Collins is co-owner of Whimsy Cookie Company, which sells custom-order decorative sugar cookies. She is also on the board of her parents’ The Making it Happen Foundation. 

In October 2016, Collins married her husband Cannon Smith, the brother of Molly Smith, who executive produced The Blind Side film, per The Hollywood Reporter. Oher was in attendance at Collins’ wedding, where he walked Leigh Anne down the aisle with Sean Jr. and was seen wearing matching hats with Collins on the dance floor. 

Sean Tuohy Jr.

According to Leigh Anne’s website, Sean Jr. earned his bachelor’s degree in Communications with a specialization in journalism and marketing from Loyola University Maryland, where he also lettered as a member of the basketball team. 

Following his graduation, he earned his master’s degree in Humanistic Studies at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he also played football. He went on to study at Liberty University, earning his doctorate in the business school. 

In 2021, he joined the University of Central Florida as Director of Football Operations and currently serves as the Executive Director at The Kingdom NIL, per his LinkedIn. Like his sister, he also serves on the board of The Making It Happen Foundation. 

In May 2020, Oher made an appearance on Sean Jr.’s Instagram account as he posted a Mother’s Day tribute. The photo showed Leigh Anne standing between Sean Jr. and Oher in the kitchen.

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