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Michael Lewis’ verbal attacks on Oher and his mental state were revealed in The Guardian on Tuesday, days after a court released the former NFL athlete from the Tuohys’ conservatorship.
“The Blind Side” author Michael Lewis is sharing his take on the drama involving Michael Oher and the Tuohy family, alleging that the former athlete’s accusations stem from the deterioration of his mental state.
According to HuffPost, Oher, who played in the NFL from 2009 to 2016, has accused Sean and Leigh Ann Tuohy of duping him into a conservatorship by telling him it was equivalent to adoption and would make him a member of their family. He also claimed they took advantage of him financially following the publication of the book and film based on his life and the “adoption” narrative.
“What we’re watching is a change of behavior,” Lewis said, HuffPost reported. “This is what happens to football players who get hit in the head: They run into problems with violence and aggression.”
The author’s verbal attacks on Oher and his mental state were revealed in The Guardian on Tuesday, days after a court released Oher from the Tuohys’ conservatorship.
Although the conservatorship has ended, the lawsuit is proceeding.
A judge typically grants a conservatorship after determining that individuals cannot make their own decisions. As a result, conservators can make legal, financial and other decisions for the client.
The Tuohys claim Oher threatened to disclose the story to the press before the lawsuit in a “shakedown” attempt.
“They have consistently treated him like a son and one of their three children,” Marvin Singer, the Tuohys’ attorney, previously said, according to HuffPost. “His response was to threaten them, including saying that he would plant a negative story about them in the press unless they paid him $15 million.”
While speaking with The Guardian, Lewis stated that Oher cooperated with his lawyer to construct a tale because the public would “get behind him if he makes these accusations,” HuffPost reported.
Lewis’ 2006 book, “The Blind Side,” became a critically praised 2009 film that earned lead actress Sandra Bullock several prizes, including an Academy Award.
However, some viewers see it as a “white savior” narrative that shows the Tuohys as Oher’s rescuers without addressing other social impediments, such as systemic racism. Oher subsequently shared in his memoir that the film unfairly represented him as “dumb.”
Lewis said Oher “was not a strong voice on his life” and that he had to “dig” the narrative out to create the book. He also alleged that Oher was “not useful” on the football field until he met the Tuohys in 2003 while attending a private high school.
However, Oher ranked as one of Tennessee’s best players before moving in with the family.
“What I feel really sad about is I watched the whole thing up close,” Lewis previously told The Washington Post in defense of the Tuohys. “They showered him with resources and love. That he’s suspicious of them is breathtaking. The state of mind one has to be in to do that — I feel sad for him.”
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