Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze called the public dispute between Michael Oher and the Tuohy family “sad” but seemed confident that “the facts will come out.”
On Monday, Oher filed a lawsuit after claiming the Tuohys lied to him by having him sign papers to enter into a conservatorship instead of adopting him.
Freeze, who coached Oher at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis and then worked as an assistant coach at Ole Miss when Oher played his college football there, spoke about the situation Thursday.
“I love Michael Oher,” Freeze told reporters Thursday. “He’s like part of our family. I love the Tuohys. I think it’s sad, and I certainly don’t claim to understand all the ins and outs of adoption, conservatory, all of that.
“But I know what I witnessed, and I witnessed a family that totally took in a young man. And I think without that, there is no story.”
Oher’s story was turned into “The Blind Side,” a book written by Michael Lewis, and then adapted into a blockbuster movie starring Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw and Quinton Aaron, who portrayed Oher.
Oher is seeking backpay for money he claims the Tuohy family made off the movie that he never received.
Attorneys for Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy have denied the claims made by Oher and retorted that he has been aware of the conservatorship.
During a news conference on Wednesday, Tuohy lawyer Randall Fishman told reporters that Oher referenced his conservators three times in his 2011 memoir “I Beat The Odds: From Homeless, To The Blind Side.”
Former NFL player Michael Oher, the subject of the hit movie “The Blind Side,” claims Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy never officially adopted him.
According to court papers, the Tuohys tricked Oher into signing over the legal authority to use his name in business deals after he turned 18.
The 37-year-old alleged the Tuohys used their conservatorship to make millions in royalties from the 2009 Oscar-nominated film.
“The lie of Michael’s adoption is one upon which Co-Conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their Ward [Oher],” the legal filing said.
Sean Tuohy spoke out against the claims, saying the conservatorship was made to ensure that Oher was eligible to play football at the University of Mississippi.
Oher wants to end the Tuohys’ conservatorship and secure an injunction barring them from using his name and likeness.
He also wants an accounting of the money they’ve already earned off his name, a fair share of the profits, and punitive damages.
Fishman also announced Wednesday that the Tuohys would seek to end the conservatorship.
The family’s attorneys also claimed that Oher had received $100,000 from the profits of “The Blind Side.”
“Michael got every dime, every dime he had coming,” Fishman said.
Freeze said he believes that despite the recent events, the Tuohy family would still welcome Oher with open arms.
“I know this: If Michael called Sean right now and said let’s work this thing out, Sean and Leigh Anne would be there in a hurry to hug his neck and tell him he’s loved,” Freeze said. “I hope he feels that. Until you walk in people’s shoes, I don’t claim to have all the answers to anything, but I think whatever happens will happen.
“The facts will come out. But I love both sides of it.”