In a recently-resurfaced tape from a Google interview, The Blind Side author makes fun of Michael Oher’s undergraduate grades while also alleging that the Tuohy family defrauded him of smash movie proceeds.
‘Blind Side’ author Michael Lewis jokes about former NFL player Michael Oher’s undergraduate grades in a recently-rediscovered 2007 interview.
It follows Oher’s 37-year-old claim in a lawsuit claiming the whole Blind Side movie, which is based on Lewis’ 2006 book, is based on a fabrication.
Oher claims the Touhy family lured him into a conservatorship and made money off of his story, and is suing them for damages.
‘Blind Side’ author Michael Lewis can be seen making fun of former NFL player Michael Oher’s undergraduate grades in a video that has recently surfaced.
It comes after Oher, 37, claimed in a lawsuit that the whole Blind Side movie, which is based on Lewis’ 2006 book, is founded on a falsehood.
He shocked viewers with his allegations that he is not genuinely the adopted son of Sean and Leigh Anne Touhy as the movie portrays.
The retired athlete contends in the lawsuit that he was duped into signing a paper designating the rich Tuohys as his conservators—rather than his adoptive parents—allowing them to capitalize on his reputation.
The family disputes the charges.
Lewis made light of Oher’s grades at Ole Miss in the recently discovered interview from September 2007.
Lewis told the crowd, to their amused applause, “Google him now; he’s on the dean’s list at Ole Miss, which says a lot about the dean’s list at Ole Miss.”
Lewis continued by criticizing Ole Miss for failing to include its student-athletes in academic pursuits.
There are schools, and Ole Miss isn’t even the best example, that appear to exist primarily to support a football program.
They then let these children—many of them are from the underclass and are black children from ghettos all throughout America—enter the school.
And then they build a track for them within the school, which is not intended to help them learn or even interact with the school outside of the football team, the author continues.
This Monday, Oher filed a lawsuit in a Tennessee court alleging that the Touhy family and their kids earned royalties from the Sandra Bullock-starring 2009 film, particularly $225,000 each and 2.5 percent of the “defined net proceeds.”
Oher said he didn’t receive any money from the movie that told his inspiring journey from homelessness to draft pick, nor from a separate agreement that gave 20th Century FOX the rights to his life.
Oher received $100,000 in royalties from “The Blind Side,” just like every other member of his adopted family, according to defense counsel for the Tuohy family.
On Wednesday, attorneys Randy Fishman and Steven Farese Sr. spoke to the media, asserting that “a pretty simple [accounting] process” would refute Oher’s assertions.
His attorneys claimed that he received a $100,000 advance from the ‘The Blind Side’ production firm, and that the Tuohys also received this sum.
The current accusation follows one made by Oher, 37, who said he was duped into signing a paper designating the Tuohys as his conservators rather than his adoptive parents, allowing them to make money from his good name.
The former athlete shocked fans by claiming he is not the adopted son of Sean and Leigh Anne Touhy as the film portrays, and he said the entire movie, starring Sandra Bullock, is based on a falsehood.
“Michael got every dime, every dime he had coming,” Fishman said on Wednesday.
‘They don’t need his money,’ Farese continued.
They never had a need for his money.
For $220 million, Mr. Tuohy sold his business.According to Martin Singer, the Tuohys’ attorney, accounting records for the studio and profit participation checks back up their claims.
According to a statement, the Tuohys put Oher’s share into a trust account after he declined to cash the cheques.
In 2004, Oher, then 18 years old, consented to a petition designating them as his conservators, granting them the authority to manage his commercial interests lawfully.
Oher claims in the lawsuit that the conservatorship allowed the Tuohy family to reach an agreement under which they, along with their two children, would earn $225,000 apiece in royalties from the touching film in addition to 2.5 percent of the “defined net proceeds.”
Oher said he didn’t receive any money from the movie that told his inspiring journey from homelessness to draft pick, nor from a separate agreement that gave 20th Century FOX the rights to his life.
The alleged adoptive parents of Oher, who gained notoriety thanks to the well-received 2009 movie, have responded to his filing of a civil complaint against them.
According to the Daily Memphian, Sean Tuohy responded to Oher’s charges by claiming the family was “devastated” by the claims and added, “We are going to keep loving Michael.”
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