Sen. Tommy Tuberville is still earning royalties from 'The Blind Side' as tensions flare over the truthfulness of the story 14 years after the movie's release
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File
- Fourteen years after its release, Sen. Tommy Tuberville is still earning royalties from "The Blind Side."
- In the movie, Tuberville briefly plays the role of himself as he tries to recruit Michael Oher to commit to Auburn University.
- Oher recently filed court documents alleging that he was misled by the family who brought him.
Fourteen years after its release, Sen. Tommy Tuberville is still earning royalties from his stint in the now-controversial movie, "The Blind Side."
According to a recently-file annual report of his personal finances, Tuberville earned $1,750.55 in royalties in 2022 from "WB Studio Enterprises Inc." in connection to the movie. The report notes he's had a royalty agreement in place with the company since around the time the movie was released in November 2009.
The movie, "The Blind Side," depicts the purported story of how National Football League star Michael Oher struggled as an impoverished child before being brought in by a Tennessee family, the Tuohys, who helped him make it to the college and subsequently professional football.
During one section of the movie, several college football coaches — played in the movie by the coaches themselves — make their way to the Tuohy's home, where they attempt to convince Oher to play college football at their respective schools. The scene contains cameos from Tuberville, Nick Saban, Ed Orgeron, Lou Holtz, and more.
Oher recently alleged in court documents that he was "exploited" by the Tuohy family, who he said never actually adopted him. The filing notes that Oher mistakenly signed paperwork after his 18th birthday entering him into a conservatorship with the Tuohys that he thought were adoption forms.
According to the court filing, the arrangement also gave the Tuohys control of Oher's educational and medical decisions.
Commercially, "The Blind Side" was a massive success as it brought in more than $300 million at the box office and led to Sandra Bullock winning several awards for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy, including the Academy Award for Best Actress.
While it was a hit, Oher alleged in the filing that he made no money from the movie, a claim that's been disputed by family patriarch Sean Tuohy, who told The Daily Memphian that "everybody in the family got an equal share, including Michael."
An attorney for Sean Tuohy and his wife, Leigh Anne Tuohy, responded to Oher's accusations by alleging that Oher threatened the family "by saying he would plant a negative story about them in the press unless they paid him $15 million."