The film company that produced The Blind Side has broken its silence and denied Michael Oher’s allegations that the Tuohys didn’t adopt him and robbed him of the film’s earnings – while revealing the exact amount paid to the NFL player and the four members of the NFL family were paid for the film.
Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove – the co-bosses of Alcon Entertainment – have defended their “true hit”, claiming that recent allegations that the story was fabricated were “misrepresentations and uninformed opinions”.
Former NFL star Oher shocked fans when he recently filed a petition in his native Tennessee to end conservatory work initiated by the wealthy Tuohy family in 2004 when he was a heavily recruited 18-year-old left tackle.
At the time, the arrangement was publicly presented as an adoption, but Oher claimed that the conservatories allowed Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy to capitalize on his story while simultaneously being denied film licenses.
To counter his claims, Alcon provided the Hollywood Reporter with a statement of payments made in connection with the life rights to the project – which had originally been made at Fox before Alcon inherited them by acquiring the project.
The Blind Side production company has broken its silence to deny Michael Oher’s allegations that the Tuohy family did not adopt him and robbed him of the film’s earnings
The statement said, “The deal Fox made for the life rights of Tuohy and Michael Oher was in keeping with the market for the rights of relatively unknown individuals at the time.”
“As such, no significant payouts were included in the event of the film’s success.
“As a result, the notion that Alcon paid the Tuohys millions of dollars to the detriment of Michael Oher is incorrect. In fact, Alcon paid approximately $767,000 to the talent agency representing the Tuohy family and Michael Oher (who is believed to have received a commission before passing it on).’
Producers’ claims regarding the sum paid to the talent agency — which usually ranges from 10 to 20 percent commission — align with the Tuohys’ own claims that each family member, as well as Oher, received $100,000 each for the hit film.
In a statement issued through their attorney, Martin D. Singer, the Tuohys insisted that any money they received for the film be split equally between the five.
“They insisted that any money received be split equally.” And they made good on that promise,” Singer said.
“The evidence — documented in profit-sharing checks and studio statements — is clear: over the years, the Tuohys have given Mr. Oher an equal share of every penny they received from The Blind Side.”
The film’s producers’ latest statement comes shortly after it was claimed that Oher could have retired from the conservatory a dozen years ago, after turning 25.
Alcon provided a statement of payments made in connection with the project’s life rights; Film stars Quinton Aaron and Sandra Bullock in the 2009 film
Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy are accused of enriching themselves by using Michael Oher
Former Baltimore Ravens tackle Michael Oher is asking for 19 years of financial records
“It is still his desire that the plaintiffs be recognized as his legal guardians, at least until he is 25 years of age or is terminated by an order of this court before that date,” the nine-page document, which the New York Post available.
“He needs her support and guidance and has continued to depend on her…Having reached the age of 18, he wishes to appoint her as his conservators for all purposes.”
has not independently verified this conservatory document.
Tennessee attorney Timothy Street told the Post that Oher could have asked a judge to end conservatory work “at any time,” though it remains unclear when he actually entered into the agreement he agreed to as an 18-year-old in 2004 understood.
Oher’s lawyers claim he only discovered the existence of the conservatory in February, according to files obtained by Mail Sport last week.
However, in his 2011 memoir I Beat The Odds, Oher referred to Sean and Leigh Anne as “my legal restorers.”
Meanwhile, the Tuohy family continued to portray themselves as Oher’s adoptive parents. In fact, the family charity’s website still refers to Sean as “Michael’s adoptive father.”
Regardless, Street believes Oher could have ended conservatory work years earlier.
Michael Oher reportedly had the power to end his controversial conservatory activity in 2009
Former Baltimore Ravens tackle Michael Oher is asking for 19 years of financial records
“If you have enough financial savvy to sign a multi-million dollar contract with the NFL, you also have to have enough savvy to know whether or not you want to stay in a conservatory,” Street said. “They won’t let you sign a contract like that when you’re drooling all over your body.”
Of course, Oher’s lawyers see it differently.
“The Tuohys never informed Michael that they would have ultimate control over all of his contracts, and thus Michael failed to understand that by being granted the Conservatory he would be relinquishing his right to contract for himself,” wrote Oher’s attorney in the complaint.
“Michael was incorrectly advised by the Tuohys that the legal action to adopt Michael should be called ‘conservatory’ since he was over eighteen, but it was essentially an adoption.”
Oher has also questioned the authenticity of documents from 2007 in which he allegedly ceded his lifetime rights to the Blind Side producers.
“Michael Oher believes the signature on this document closely resembles his own and he does not know if the signature was forged,” his attorney wrote in the Aug. 14 complaint received by Mail Sport.
The Tuohy family could find themselves in legal jeopardy if they are found to have been hiding money from Oher, who recently filed a request for inspection of the couple’s financial records.
“If they misallocated a lot of money and had a fiduciary duty to protect him, they won’t have the light of justice,” Street said.
Through their attorneys, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy have claimed Oher tried to pressure them into paying him $15 million before filing a lawsuit in Tennessee last week.
Oher claims he made several attempts to quit the conservatory, but the Tuohys “ignored” the requests.
In a statement, Tuohy’s lawyers said the family was ready to end conservatory activity but wanted to “defend their good name, stand up to this concussion, and ward off this offensive lawsuit.”
READ ALCON ENTERTAINMENT’S FULL STATEMENT
As the co-founders and co-CEOs of Alcon Entertainment, the company that funded THE BLIND SIDE, and as two of the film’s producers, we feel it is important to respond to some recent media reports, including much of the mischaracterization and uninformed opinion. The impetus for these stories was a lawsuit filed by Michael Oher, which seems to have given critics and journalists reason to unfairly dissect the film 14 years later – some even going so far as to call it a “fake” or a “lie”. ‘
THE BLIND SIDE was a film that no major studio would make when Alcon financed the 2009 film. The prevailing “wisdom” was that a football film starring a woman wouldn’t appeal to football fans because it would appeal to too many football families, and that films starring black actors don’t work abroad.
We felt it would appeal to everyone, and in 2009, when this country and the world in general was more hopeful and less divided, that was the case. The two of us are the longest-standing interracial business partnership in film industry history. We have not led by courtship or pontificate, but rather by the silent power of example.
In the story of THE BLIND SIDE we saw the better angels of human nature. We have seen it in the Tuohy’s wonderful acts of kindness towards Michael Oher. More importantly, however, we saw this in the extraordinary courage Michael Oher displayed in embracing the generosity of the Tuohy not as alms or as his saviors, but as a way through which to improve his own life . Michael’s academic achievements and sporting successes prove this.
The ultimate testament to Michael’s own strength and courage is that he is now raising his own children, who will experience a life of opportunity never seen by Michael as a child. On both counts, THE BLIND SIDE is verifiably authentic and will never be a lie or fake, regardless of the family ups and downs that transpired after the film.
In fact, numerous trusted individuals, not least Michael Lewis, one of our country’s most respected writers and journalists and author of the book THE BLIND SIDE, have spoken of knowing firsthand the authenticity of Tuohy’s love for Michael, who loved him dearly and raised Michael as their son through high school, then through college and into the NFL.
We’d also like to address the business side of the equation, which appears to stem in part from where some of the current press dislike for the film originates. The film rights to Michael Lewis’ book and associated rights deals were negotiated by Twentieth Century Fox and inherited by Alcon as the film entered the turnaround phase.
It’s important to note that the nature of rights-to-life deals for books, documentaries, and films in 2006, as well as the limitations on what college athletes could do and maintain their eligibility, were very different than they are today.
Comparing today’s market for these rights is akin to comparing a basketball Hall of Famer deal from 25 years ago to the nine-figure deals prevalent in the NBA today. The deal Fox made for the life rights of Tuohy and Michael Oher was in keeping with the market for the rights of relatively unknown individuals at the time. Therefore, if the film was successful, no significant payouts were planned.
Therefore, the notion that Alcon paid the Tuohys millions of dollars to the detriment of Michael Oher is incorrect. In fact, Alcon paid about $767,000 to the talent agency representing the Tuohy family and Michael Oher (who presumably received a commission before passing it on).
We expect the Tuohy family and Michael Oher to bring additional profits as audiences continue to enjoy this true story for years to come. In addition to these contractual payments, Alcon made a charitable contribution to the Tuohy Family Foundation. We offered Mr. Oher to donate the same amount to a charity of his choice, which he declined.
In November it will be 14 years since THE BLIND SIDE was released by our distribution partner Warner Bros. Looking back, we both felt passionately that THE BLIND SIDE was a story to be told. John Lee Hancock had done an excellent job adapting Michael Lewis’ book and we knew John Lee would direct a thoughtful and uplifting film. Additionally, we felt that Sandra Bullock’s great work as a dramatic actress was underestimated and found Quentin Aaron’s screen test a revelation.
God knows we’re both not always right, but we were definitely right in our decision to make this film. The best human traits on display in THE BLIND SIDE could easily be dismissed in the bizarre world of elitist film criticism and social media cynicism.
In the real world, however, they form the basis of a healthy society and should be celebrated. We’re just as proud of the film today as we were 14 years ago when our amazing staff made the film. We hope that our fellow filmmakers around the world continue to search for empowering stories to tell and that they have the freedom and power to make their voices heard.