By Miguel Mike Medina
Former NFL star Michael Oher is making headlines this week. He expresses that the movie “The Blind Side,” is based on a lie. Oher said that there is misleading information about his portrayal in the movie. He mentioned that he wasn’t adopted, and the movie had several stereotypes about him like being “unintelligent” and “too serious” or “mellow.” The Blind Side does have a message or theme of a “white savior.”
The story of Oher and the Tuohy family became the subject of an Oscar-winning film, “The Blind Side,” starring Sandra Bullock in the role of Leigh Anne Tuohy. The Blind Side is based on the Michael Lewis book of the same name, telling the story of Oher’s life as a homeless child through his college football career and eventual NFL stardom. Sandra Bullock won Best Actress at the Academy Awards for her performance. The Tuohy’s family received a contract price of $225,000 and 2.5% of the film’s net.
The Blindside did very well at the box office. It went on to gross over $300 million. I only saw the movie once, and it was on Hulu. I enjoyed watching the movie, and with this news, it’s going to make me see the film in a different light.
Oher made no money off the film, which was released after he completed his college career at Ole Miss. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2009. Oher played eight seasons in the NFL. He spent most of his tenure with the Baltimore Ravens, where he won a Super Bowl in 2012.
Oher wrote his autobiography, I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness to The Blind Side and Beyond, in 2011. His most recent book, “When Your Back’s Against the Wall,” was released last week.