The Blind Side Was Based On A Real Story, But The Truth Is Much Darker

The Blind Side was a tremendous success commercially, bringing in over $300 million. It was also a hit with the critics and the powers that be in Tinseltown. Sandra Bullock was the star, and she received a Golden Globe and an Oscar for her portrayal of Oher’s adoptive mother, Leigh Anne Tuohy. Michael Oher became a household name, too.

The film was adapted from the parts of the 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game that followed the life of Michael Oher from homelessness to adoption and then to football stardom. His character arc was undoubtedly the stuff of dreams for LA executives on the lookout for their next feel-good motion picture. And it’s not too hard to see why the film did so well.

But when a film is made based on the lives of actual people, there are always going to be different — and often conflicting — opinions about what actually happened and how events were portrayed. Quinton Aaron was the actor chosen to portray Michael Oher, and he admittedly had big shoes to fill. This was only the start of the problem, though.

Because although Oher’s story was ripe for adaptation, it would seem that Oher himself hasn’t been too happy with the movie’s representation of his life. In fact, the NFL star thought the movie hampered the perception of his sporting abilities — and had a negative impact on his career.

Oher even went so far as to write a book on the matter, penning an autobiography in 2011 named I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond. And in doing so, he tried to right the perceived wrongs done by what he saw as the sugar-coated cinematic version of his life.

Ahead of the Super Bowl in 2013, Oher spoke to the press about the subject. “I’m tired of the movie,” he said, according to ESPN. “I’m here to play football.” Which he did — and his team, the Baltimore Ravens, went on to win. When the time came to re-sign, however, Oher found that there was no longer a home for him with the Ravens.

But in 2014 Oher signed a massive deal with the Tennessee Titans that contracted him for five years. Unfortunately, though, his fortunes soon declined. Indeed, Oher was let go from his contract due to a debilitating toe injury. He then had foot surgery and signed with a new team in 2015 — the Carolina Panthers. Was this bad luck, or an aftereffect of The Blind Side?

ESPN’s David Newton had followed Oher’s progression closely. And talking to Newton in 2015, Oher did not mince his words about the film of his life. He said that The Blind Side “has nothing to do with football. It’s something else off the field. That’s why I don’t like that movie.’’

“People look at me, and they take things away from me because of a movie,” Oher added. “They don’t really see the skills and the kind of player I am. That’s why I get downgraded so much, because of something off the field.” And it probably didn’t help that the movie didn’t get all of the facts right.

Seemingly, Oher was upset that people now looked at him and saw the sob story, instead of the sportsman. “That’s taken away from my football,’’ he said. “That’s why people criticize me. That’s why people look at me every single play.’’ So there is undeniably extra scrutiny on Oher, due to the wider fame that the movie has brought him.

For instance, when Oher was involved in a scuffle with fellow footballer Kony Ealy, news outlets certainly sat up and took notice. And there’s little doubt that Oher was aware of the increased scrutiny that he was under. “I’m getting watched for everything,” he said.

But following this rather downbeat interview, things started to improve for Oher. Although he doesn’t have much of a relationship with his biological mother, Denise Oher, she is now reportedly clean and sober. So, maybe their relationship could be patched up in the future.

ESPN’s David Newton penned another piece about Michael Oher a year later, in 2016. And in it, he reported some other good news. Oher had thrived in Carolina and the Panthers decided to extend his contract by three more years. They even went to the Super Bowl — although they lost to the Denver Broncos. But fate had other plans for Oher.

As everything was going so well, Oher had planned to stay with the team until retirement. But fate — or the curse of The Blind Side, perhaps — had other ideas. Oher was in fact released by the Panthers just one year later, due to concussion-related issues.

But now that Oher has a big media presence, he will almost certainly have become more aware of the pressures and responsibilities that come with fame. Hopefully, then, he can find a balance in his life and be both the talent from the football field and the inspirational personality from the film script... Even if the film script was partly, well, fictional.

After all, the athlete’s story reached plenty of viewers far beyond the world of regular NFL fans. And judging by the film’s success, it’s clear that they were able to rejoice in his amazing tale. Yet it seems that Oher is intent on letting people know he is not the same person audiences saw on the big screen.

Playing in the NFL must have been tough on his body, so perhaps in the future Oher will embrace his media persona more and possibly move into punditry. He has much to offer on and off the pitch, so there should always be an audience for him. That’s how he has been able to set the record straight about The Blind Side, after all.

In reality, you see, Oher’s life certainly started in sad circumstances. He had no responsible parental role models and being one of 12 kids, Oher probably felt somewhat adrift. He was subsequently fostered by various caregivers before encountering Leigh Anne Tuohy as a teenager.

Oher's biological father, Michael Jerome Williams, was away from the family, too, serving a prison sentence for several crimes. In a strange twist, Oher's father had actually roomed in a prison cell with his mother's brother. So Oher didn't grow up with a male father figure in his life, and things only got worse from there.

One of the few ways to get out of poverty is through education — but Oher didn't have access to a solid foundation in academia. As a result, he had to go through the first and second grades twice and switched schools 11 times in just his first nine years in education.

When Oher was seven years old, he entered America's network of foster care. It must have been clear to the authorities that his parents just weren't up to the task. Even so, child services seemingly didn't do much to help the young Oher in the early stages of his life.

Most of his foster families were not good for Oher, who drifted from home to home without purpose. He even found himself homeless at some points. The boy had little support in his life, and he grew increasingly withdrawn. He only found one area where he truly felt like himself.

On the gridiron. That's how he ended up living with Tony Henderson, a guy who ran a local athletic program. And that's also how Oher ended up applying for admission at Briarcrest Christian School — a private institution in Shelby County, Tennessee, close to Memphis. It was a turning point in his life.

Oher had started out with every disadvantage in the book, but he wasn't about to let that stop him. "It was easy for me to... do drugs and... not go to school," Oher told ABC in 2009. "But I decided I didn't want to do it. I wanted to, you know, be something in life." Still, he couldn't just waltz into Briarcrest.

At Briarcrest, Oher caught the attention of head football coach Hugh Freeze. Freeze then brought his case to the private school principal, who was wary of accepting Oher. After all, how could a student who barely spoke in class manage himself at such a prestigious institution?

The principal initially asked Oher to complete the school's required home study program. But when Oher couldn't finish it, the principal realized this was the kind of thing that had stopped Oher from excelling at schools in the first place. Then he nixed the requirement — and welcome Oher to Briarcrest.

It turned out that when it came to football, Oher's best position was as an offensive lineman. No other high schoolers in the area could even compare. He also became a standout in track and basketball. Still, the star athlete was in trouble.

Oher wanted to go on and compete in the NCAA, but unfortunately, his grades were too low to qualify. He had earned a 0.76 grade point average, and it wasn't quite enough. And this was only part of his problems. When Oher wasn't completing in sports and athletics, his personal life was falling apart.

Unfortunately for all parties, foster care just wasn't working for Oher. He stayed on people's couches during his high school years, but he could find no permanent residence. Oher also learned that his father had been murdered in prison. So if the teenager was going to make his dreams come true, something had to give.

Naturally, though, people around Briarcrest began to notice Oher. One girl named Collins would soon enter his life in a way he never imagined possible. The inflection point started when Oher found himself in the home of Collins' parents, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy.

Unlike in The Blind Side, though, it was actually Sean who first noticed Oher on the field. But his wife then went out of her way to help Oher out. Leigh Anne was born in Memphis herself and came from a respected family — though not one that was accepting of other races. Luckily, Leigh Anne had put those hateful beliefs behind her at an early age.

We know, of course, that the Tuohys eventually took Oher in and became his new family. We know he went on to attend the University of Mississippi, where he played college football. Then, in 2009, the Baltimore Ravens picked Oher, and he joined the ranks of the National Football League. But it didn't happen as it does in the movie.

The Tuohys didn't set out to transform Oher's life at first. Noticing he had so little, the parents just helped out in small ways. Sean gave him a standing account at the cafeteria for lunch money. Leigh Anne took him shopping after noticing that he had no cold-weather clothes. But soon enough, the football standout worked his way into their hearts.

The Tuohys invited Oher to live with them, and at that point, it was time to get into shape. But we're not talking sports. More like academic shape. And so, Leigh Anne grew familiar with Oher's difficult childhood and hired a tutor for him. Suddenly, his grades were back up.

By the time his senior season came around, Oher had worked his way around many obstacles that had stood in the way of his college football dreams. He then participated in the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. And from there, Oher got an offer to play for Ole Miss — where the Tuohys had gone to school. But Oher couldn't take that chance right away.

The NCAA launched an investigation into Oher's offer and said he hadn't gotten the qualifying grade for the Mississippi placement. But he wasn't going to let that red tape slow him down. The summer after high school, Oher enrolled in online classes at Brigham Young University. And with those credits, he was ready to make the big leap to college.

After high school, Oher took no prisoners on the gridiron. The Ole Miss prospect was voted as an all-American and was showered with SEC awards. Naturally, the Tuohy family proudly cheered him on from the stands. Then, in 2009, Oher entered the NFL Draft. His dreams really were coming true.

After the Baltimore Ravens selected him in the first round, Oher enjoyed a wildly successful career not given due credit in The Blind Side. He was a starting offensive tackle for nearly a decade, and he was proud to become a Super Bowl champion after the 2012 season. As a matter of fact, he wasn't the only one in his family to rebound.

Even though Oher's mother's issues forced her to lose him, she did end up getting better. "I am on the right path. Ain’t no turning back this time. That’s all I know to say about that,” Denise Oher told WMC Action News 5 in 2013. She did ultimately express gratitude for the Tuohy family's compassion.