Tuohy family accuses Michael Oher of $15M shakedown, 'The Blind Side' report takes major twist

Yesterday, Michael Oher shocked NFL and movie fans when he claimed to the Tennessee courts that The Blind Side, the highly-acclaimed movie about him and his life, had been based on lies. Specifically, he said that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy did not adopt him, but rather became his conservators and pocketed any and all profit they made off of him, including royalties to the film.

Sean, taken aback by the news, released this statement:

“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.”

And now the Tuohys' lawyer came out with a massive allegation against Oher.

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Lawyer alleges that Michael Oher attempted to extort $15 million from the Tuohys

In a statement to TMZ, Marty Singer, a lawyer who is famous for representing many celebrities, including most recently Lizzo in her work environment scandal, began by calling Michael Oher's allegations "hurtful and absurd" and "not only offensive", but also "transparently ridiculous":

"Through hard work and good fortune, Sean and Leigh Anne have made an extraordinary amount of money in the restaurant business. The notion that a couple worth hundreds of millions of dollars would connive to withhold a few thousand dollars in profit participation payments from anyone - let alone from someone they loved as a son - defies belief."

He then continued to accuse Oher, who won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens and reached another with the Carolina Panthers, of forcing the Tuohys to give him $15 million in a shakedown as a publicity stunt under pain of a lawsuit:

"In reality, the Tuohys opened their home to Oher and offered him structure, support, and, most of all, unconditional love. They consistently treated him as a son... His response was to threaten them, including saying that he would plant a negative story about them unless they paid him $15 million."

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Tuohys were always upfront about Michael Oher's earnings - lawyer adds

In addition, Singer said that the Tuohys had always made it a point of giving their adoptive son his just and fair share in the royalties The Blind Side earned over its theatrical run:

"Over the years, the Tuohys have given Mr. Oher an equal cut of every penny received from The Blind Side. Even recently, when (he) started to threaten them and refused to cash (in) the small profit checks, they still deposited (his) share into a trust account."

The statement said that the Tuohys were always upfront about the purpose of Michael Oher's conservatorship: to help him in life; and should he want to end it, his parents would not object.

Singer also called the lawsuit "ludicrous" and "offensive". The former offensive tackle, who also played for the Tennessee Titans, has yet to respond to the statement.