‘The Blind Side’ family now: What happened to the Tuohys after the movie came out?

Former NFL star Michael Oher and the Tuohy family came into the spotlight over a decade ago with the release of “The Blind Side,” a movie based on Michael Lewis’ book about the same name. In the movie, the family adopts Oher and helps his football career, which ended in the NFL. But this week, Oher alleged that the famous story’s central arc is based on a false promise.

This week, Oher alleged the Tuohys never adopted him and also made millions off of the movie, profits he did not share in.

Oher filed a petition alleging the Tuohys presented him with paperwork in 2004, when he was 18, that he believed to be adoption papers. Instead, the document made Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy his conservators, but did not legally make him part of their family, the petition stated.

“Michael Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the Conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys,” the petition stated.

Oher, 37, is seeking for a Tennessee court to end the conservatorship, prohibit the Tuohys from using his name and likeness and pay him his fair share of profits.

The Tuohy family declined to comment to NBC News, but Sean Tuohy told The Daily Memphian his family is prepared to do “whatever Michael wants,” including end the conservatorship.

“We’re devastated. It’s upsetting to think we would make money off any of our children. But we’re going to love Michael at 37 just like we loved him at 16,” he said, calling the allegations “insulting.”

Sean Tuohy also explained the intention behind a conservatorship, saying it was a way to get around NCAA’s scrutiny, since Oher was headed to college to play football. Tuohy played basketball at Ole Miss and, with Oher eventually playing football there, it would seem like he was a “booster,” or a third party supporting a college sports team.

“Michael was obviously living with us for a long time, and the NCAA didn’t like that,” Sean Tuohy told the Daily Memphian. “They said the only way Michael could go to Ole Miss was if he was actually part of the family. I sat Michael down and told him, ‘If you’re planning to go to Ole Miss — or even considering Ole Miss — we think you have to be part of the family. This would do that, legally.’ We contacted lawyers who had told us that we couldn’t adopt over the age of 18; the only thing we could do was to have a conservatorship. We were so concerned it was on the up-and-up that we made sure the biological mother came to court.”

Adoption of adults is legal in Tennessee, but Sean Tuohy told the Daily Memphian he was advised against it. TODAY.com has reached out to the NCAA for comment.

The Tuohys issued an official statement to TODAY: "Unbeknownst to the public, Mr. Oher has actually attempted to run this play several times before — but it seems that numerous other lawyers stopped representing him once they saw the evidence and learned the truth. Sadly, Mr. Oher has finally found a willing enabler and filed this ludicrous lawsuit as a cynical attempt to drum up attention in the middle of his latest book tour."

Here’s where the members of the Tuohy family are now.

Leigh Anne Tuohy

Leigh Anne Tuohy was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, before she attended the University of Mississippi, where she was a cheerleader and member of the Kappa Delta sorority, according to her website.

She met her husband Sean Tuohy at Ole Miss, and have two biological children, Collins and Sean Jr, also known as SJ. On her website she also lists Oher as her son, though Oher has since alleged he was never officially adopted into the Tuohy family.

Tuohy is now a motivational speaker, interior designer and author. She wrote the book “Turn Around: Reach Out, Give Back, and Get Moving” and co-authored “In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving” with her husband.

She also co-founded the Making It Happen Foundation with her husband after the release of “The Blind Side,” which she said “promotes awareness, provides hope, and improves standards of living for all the children fighting to survive in the invisible cracks in society,” according to her website.

Sean Tuohy

Sean Tuohy was born and raised in New Orleans and headed to Ole Miss on a basketball scholarship, according to his page on his wife’s website and reporting by “Blind Side” author Michael Lewis.

Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy married in 1982, the same year he was drafted into the NBA to play for the New Jersey Nets. He continued his career overseas before “returning to the US to be with his father during his final days,” his wife’s website said.

He built a company that owned and operated fast food restaurants including Taco Bell, KFC and Freddy’s, though The Daily Memphian reported he sold the bulk of the businesses for around $213 million. He also worked as an analyst and broadcaster before pursuing a career with NBA Broadcasting, according to his wife’s website.

He and his wife co-authored the book “Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving,” and co-founded the Making it Happen Foundation after the release of “The Blind Side.”

Collins Tuohy

Collins Tuohy attended school with Michael Oher at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, Tennessee, according to her page on her mother’s website. Like Oher, she was an athlete herself and won the a high school Tennessee state championship in the pole vault, per reporting from Lewis.

And like her parents, she attended the University of Mississippi and graduated with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. She was also a cheerleader for Ole Miss, as was her mother, as she spoke about on TikTok. She is now a co-owner of Whimsy Cookie Company and serves on the board of the Making it Happen Foundation.

She married Cannon Smith, the brother of Molly Smith, who executive produced “The Blind Side,” in 2016, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Smith is the son of FedEx founder and CEO Frederick Smith.

Sean Tuohy Jr.

SJ Tuohy earned his bachelor's degree in communications at Loyola University Maryland, where he also played on the school's basketball team, per his profile on the website for the UCF Knights. On the website, Michael Oher is listed as being his brother.

He went on to get his master's in Humanistic Studies at Southern Methodist University, and completed a doctorate in Strategic Leadership at Liberty University in 2022, according to his LinkedIn.

He has served as a coach and athletic director at several schools, and now is the executive director of the Kingdom NIL, the official collective of University of Central Florida athletics, according to his LinkedIn.

SJ Tuohy discussed Oher's allegations during an appearance on Barstool Sports Radio.

“I get ... why he’s mad. I completely understand. It stinks that it’ll play out on a very public stage. … You will never hear me say anything bad about Michael Oher in any capacity other than I’m upset that he feels the way that he does," he said.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com