Current:Home > reviewsSafeX Pro:‘The Blind Side’ story of Michael Oher is forever tainted – whatever version you believe -Streamline Finance
SafeX Pro:‘The Blind Side’ story of Michael Oher is forever tainted – whatever version you believe
Charles Langston View
Date:2025-04-07 15:26:02
There’s a scene toward the end of the movie in which they warned us that,SafeX Pro even in this most idyllic re-telling of "The Blind Side," there was always another side to the story.
Michael Oher has to be interviewed by the NCAA, and an actress portraying an NCAA official explains how Oher’s relationship with the Tuohy family might be construed by those less invested in a Hollywood ending.
"The NCAA fears that with your recruitment, a door might be opened – that boosters from lots of schools from the South will become legal guardians of young athletes without means and funnel them to their alma maters," she tells Oher, played by actor Quinton Aaron, and at this point foreboding background music has already kicked in.
"I’m not saying I believe it. I’m not saying I don’t," this NCAA villain continues. "But there are many people involved in this case that would argue the Tuohys took you in. They clothed you. They fed you. They paid for your private education. They bought you a car. They paid for a tutor. All as part of a plan that assured you played football for the University of Mississippi."
You’ve probably seen what happened next because the book was a bestseller and the film went gangbusters at the box office.
Oher, after speaking with Leigh Anne Tuohy, tells the NCAA the Tuohys are his family and he’s going to Ole Miss because his family went there. Even back in 2010, when Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for her role as Leigh Anne Tuohy, it all seemed to come together a little too easily. Particularly in Memphis, where everything actually took place. But most were willing to go along with it because Oher seemed willing to do so.
Today, now that Oher claims this entire narrative was built upon a lie, it’s no longer so neat and tidy. "The Blind Side" sequel might well turn into a legal drama after Oher claimed in a petition filed in Shelby County, Tennessee, probate court Monday the Tuohys misled him more than 20 years ago and ultimately enriched themselves at his expense.
STAY UP-TO-DATE: Subscribe to our Sports newsletter for exclusive content
Whether these specific allegations wind up being true or not, whether this is simply Oher trying to drum up interest in his new book, or whether the Tuohys really did exploit Oher for their own financial gain, the whole fairytale is forever tainted.
Though Oher wrote in his first book more than a decade ago he did not like how he was portrayed in "The Blind Side" movie, though the proceeding years proved Hugh Freeze – Oher’s coach at Briarcrest High School in Memphis – wasn’t what he seemed either, there was still an underlying belief Oher thought the Tuohys had his best interests at heart.
Monday changed that, even though the national headlines seemed to be met with a collective shrug by the local community. The notion that the Tuohys’ relationship with Oher when he played football at Briarcrest might not be as serendipitous as it was presented had worst-kept-secret-in-town vibes.
But everyone knows now – not just Memphis – and a lot of them had previously bought into what author Michael Lewis and Warner Bros. wanted them to believe.
The truth, as the cliché goes, probably lies somewhere in between – in between the version of the story the movie and book told, the version Oher's attorney laid out Monday and the version the Tuohy family is turning to defend themselves. The problem, of course, is "The Blind Side" didn’t sell in between.
A tale that was always too good to be true – about how football can bridge the racial and socioeconomic divides in this country – has 20 years later yielded potential lies and litigation.
It is still very much an American story. Just not the one we thought.
veryGood! (78)
Related
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Mean Girls' Jonathan Bennett Shares Fetch Update on Lindsay Lohan's New Chapter With Her Baby Boy
- Darius Jackson Speaks Out Amid Keke Palmer Breakup Reports
- North Dakota AG, tribal nation, BIA partner to combat illegal drugs on tribal lands
- Plunge Into These Olympic Artistic Swimmers’ Hair and Makeup Secrets
- Brian Houston, Hillsong Church founder, found not guilty of concealing his father's child sex crimes
- Luann and Sonja's Crappie Lake Variety Show Is Off to a Very Rocky Start in Hilarious Preview
- Idina Menzel is done apologizing for her emotions on new album: 'This is very much who I am'
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Human trafficking: A network of crime hidden across a vast American landscape
Ranking
- 51-year-old Andy Macdonald puts on Tony Hawk-approved Olympic skateboard showing
- Evacuation of far northern Canadian city of Yellowknife ordered as wildfires approach
- Eagles' Tyrie Cleveland, Moro Ojomo carted off field after suffering neck injuries
- IRS agent fatally shot during training exercise at north Phoenix firing range
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Wisconsin Republicans propose eliminating work permits for 14- and 15-year-olds
- 'We're not waiting': Maui community shows distrust in government following deadly wildfires
- Tornado spotted in Rhode Island as thunderstorms move through New England
Recommendation
Audit: California risked millions in homelessness funds due to poor anti-fraud protections
A neonatal nurse in a British hospital has been found guilty of killing 7 babies
Federal judges rule against provisions of GOP-backed voting laws in Georgia and Texas
Blue Shield of California opts for Amazon, Mark Cuban drug company in switchup
The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
Wendy's breakfast menu gets another addition: New English muffin sandwiches debut this month
China’s Evergrande says it is asking for US court to approve debt plan, not filing for bankruptcy
Ready to go 0-60? The new Ford Mustang GTD 2025 model is on its what. What you should know