The latest revelations of Michael Oher’s apparent conservatorship with the Tuohy family has one of his former NFL opponents saying Oher “got played.”
Former Pittsburgh Steelers lineman Ramon Foster revealed on his radio show Tuesday he was “not surprised” by the news.
However, when Foster hosted Oher during Oher’s official visit to Foster’s Tennessee, he “did think he was adopted by” the Tuohys.
Foster said Oher was probably “playing his roles” as a teenager with no stable upbringing as the Tuohys invited him to stay with them. Now, Foster wants Oher to fight for what he deserves.
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Michael Oher (74) of the Ole Miss Rebels stands with his family during senior ceremonies prior to a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium Nov. 28, 2008, in Oxford, Miss. (Matthew Sharpe/Getty Images)
“Can you imagine thinking everything was done above board, and you end up having an audit and realize you were actually owed a little bit more? That’s what it was,” Foster said. “Mike’s not a hard time. He’s never been one of those dudes that depressed or has some mental issues and stuff like that going on. He’s a sharp dude. He just finally got the realization, ‘Oh, I got played.’”
Foster explained how he knew it would be almost impossible to get Oher to play somewhere aside from Ole Miss.
“I knew they had certain persuasion on him as far as recruiting and stuff like that. I’ll say this. I knew Mike wasn’t a dumb guy. I did know that in college,” Foster said. “Him going to Ole Miss was as apparent as almost anything else. He couldn’t say those things, but everybody kinda new it was gonna be a fight to get him away from Ole Miss.”
The inspiration for the Hollywood film “The Blind Side” alleged that he was never officially adopted by what he thought was his family.
Oher, now a former NFL offensive lineman, filed a petition in a Tennessee court Monday alleging Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy tricked him into signing a conservatorship shortly after his 18th birthday.
Offensive lineman Michael Oher of the Baltimore Ravens after a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field Dec. 27, 2009, in Pittsburgh. (George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
Oher jumped from school to school and home to home throughout the majority of his childhood, but in 2004, the Tuohys brought Oher into their home. Based on the alleged paperwork, the family says it negotiated a deal that paid them each, including the Tuohys’ two birth children, a significant amount plus a percentage in royalties for the film, which grossed $330 million.
Oher says he didn’t make a dime from the movie about him.
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Oher, now 37, was one of of the most prized offensive linemen coming out of high school, and he committed, unsurprisingly, to Ole Miss.
The petition seeks to end the conservatorship and bar the family from using his name and likeness. It also seeks a share of profits based on the earnings the family purportedly made off his name.
Baltimore Ravens draft pick Michael Oher poses for a photograph with his family at Radio City Music Hall during the 2009 NFL Draft April 25, 2009, in New York City. (Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
“All monies made in said manner should in all conscience and equity be disgorged and paid over to the said ward, Michael Oher,” the lawsuit states.
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Oher was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, with which he played five seasons and won one Super Bowl before signing with the Tennessee Titans. After a brief stint with the Titans, he signed with the Carolina Panthers but was eventually released in 2017.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
