Tuohys Calls Oher Claims ‘Harmful,’ Part of ‘Extortion’: NPR

In this Friday, Feb. 1, 2013 photo, Sean and Lee Ann Twohy, the adoptive parents of Baltimore Ravens starting offensive lineman Michael O’Hare, take part in a TV interview in New Orleans. They are pictured in “The Blind Side” action and will be attending Sunday’s Super Bowl football game between the Ravens and San Francisco 49ers.

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In this Friday, Feb. 1, 2013 photo, Sean and Lee Ann Twohy, the adoptive parents of Baltimore Ravens starting offensive lineman Michael O’Hare, take part in a TV interview in New Orleans. They are pictured in “The Blind Side” action and will be attending Sunday’s Super Bowl football game between the Ravens and San Francisco 49ers.

Gerald Herbert/AP

Days after allegations surfaced alleging Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy made millions profiting from the name, image and likeness of former NFL offensive lineman Michael O’Hare, the Tuohys are slamming the allegations against them.

The family says O’Hare’s claims against them in the petition filed in a Tennessee court Monday are essentially an “extortion attempt” in order to get nearly $15 million from them. Oher – the theme of the 2009 blockbuster movie hidden side – He said that the wealthy Touhy family established guardianship in exchange for his legal adoption.

In a statement from Martin Singer, the attorney for the Tuohy family, he said the Tuohey family was “saddened by these events” and that the idea of ​​the family profiting from O’Hare was “patently absurd.”

“The notion that a couple worth hundreds of millions of dollars colluded to withhold a few thousand dollars in profit-sharing payments from anyone—let alone someone who loved them as a son—contradicts belief,” Singer said in his statement.

The family’s lawyer said the Tohs hoped he “regrets his recent decisions” and that they can reconcile with him – emphasizing how deeply they care about Oher.

“But in the meantime, [the Tuohys] They will not hesitate to defend their good names, face this alienation, and defeat this aggressive lawsuit.”

Attorneys representing Oher did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment. he told Don Barrett, one of O’Hare’s attorneys ESPN In a statement they believe justice will be done in court.

“We decide cases in the courtroom on the basis of the facts. We have confidence in our judicial system and our client, Michael O’Hare,” Barrett said.

The 37-year-old former NFL offensive lineman — who played for the Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers — filed a petition Monday asking the probate court in Shelby County, Tennessee, to dissolve the conservatorship set up by Al Tooh.

Michael O’Hare, the former NFL player known for “The Blind Side,” filed a petition Monday, August 14, 2023 in Tennessee probate court accusing Sean and Lee Ann Twohy of lying to him by having him sign papers making them his conservators. Here, Oher speaks to the media during the first day of the NFL football offseason conditioning program in Charlotte, NC, April 20, 2015.

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Michael O’Hare, the former NFL player known for “The Blind Side,” filed a petition Monday, August 14, 2023 in Tennessee probate court accusing Sean and Lee Ann Twohy of lying to him by having him sign papers making them his conservators. Here, Oher speaks to the media during the first day of the NFL football offseason conditioning program in Charlotte, NC, April 20, 2015.

Chuck Burton/AP

In court documents obtained by NPR, O’Hare argues that Sean and Lee Ann Twohey convinced him to sign documents that agreed to custody nearly 20 years ago.

A 2004 guardianship filing claims O’Hare wanted Sean and Lee Ann Twohey to be his legal guardians until he turned 25 — or until the guardianship was terminated by a court.

But in an interview on Monday with The Daily MemphisAnd Sean Tuohy says all of Oher’s claims are false.

“We didn’t make any money from the movie,” Al-Tuwaihi said. “We were never offered money; we never asked for money. My money is well documented…”

O’Hare who spoke to him Mississippi Public Broadcasting Monday about his new book – When your back is against the wall – He did not address the petition in his interview. However, he did speak briefly favorably of the Tuohys.

“Things I went through and had to do up to that point I went from 3 years to 18 when I moved in with the Tuohy family — who I’m grateful for letting me stay my senior year there. But you gotta understand… what it took To get to that point,” O’Hare told MPB.