The True Story Behind 'The Blind Side'

Brian Jones

03/30/2021 11:37 am EDT

The Blind Side has been in the news recently as fans debated about certain aspects of the 2009 film, including racism. Additionally, Michael Oher, the former NFL offensive lineman who is the focus of The Blind Side, recently gave an update on what's going on in his life.

The Blind Side is based on the 2006 book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis. The film shows Oher overcoming a rough upbringing to play in the NFL. Along the way, Oher, played by Quinton Aaron, is adopted by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, played by Tim McGraw and Sandra Bullock, respectively. Bullock's performance was so strong, she won an Academy Award for Best Actress.

"The inspiring part of this movie is, here is this family that does this and didn't do it because someone was writing a book or an article or making a movie," Bullock explains in an interview with Digital Journal in 2010. "They did it because that's where their instincts said, 'This is what we are going to do, and we are going to reach out a hand,' By doing that, so many people's lives were changed for the better." Here's a look at the true story behind The Blind Side.

Early Life

(Photo: Matthew Sharpe / Contributor, Getty)

According to Biography, Oher was born on May 28, 1986, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was one of 12 children, and their father was in and out of prison while their mother was addicted to drugs. This led to Oher being in and out of foster homes and frequently homeless.

The Breakthrough

Oher was adopted by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy at the age of 16, which is when things began to turn around for him. He began to excel at football during his junior year and then became one of the best offensive linemen in the country.

Ole Miss

(Photo: Matthew Sharpe / Contributor, Getty)

Oher committed to Ole Miss in 2005 after receiving offers from Tennessee, LSU, Alabama and NC State, among others. During his career at Ole Miss, he was selected to the All-SEC First Team twice and was named a Unanimous All-American in 2008.

Baltimore Ravens

After Ole Miss, Oher was drafted No. 23 overall by the Baltimore Ravens in 2009. He immediately became a starter and helped the Ravens win the Super Bowl in 2012. Oher was with the Ravens for five seasons before moving on to a new NFL team.

Tennessee Titans

(Photo: Joe Robbins / Stringer, Getty)

On March 14, 2014, Oher signed a four-year, $20 million contract with the Tennessee Titans. He played in 11 games during the 2014 season before missing the final five due to a toe injury. It led to the Titans releasing him in February 2015.

Carolina Panthers

Shortly after Oher was released by the Titans, he signed a two-year, $7 million contract with the Carolina Panthers. He played in all 16 games for the Panthers during the 2015 season and helped Cam Newton win the MVP award. It was also the year where the Panthers lost to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50. In 2016, Oher only played in three games due to a concussion. After signing another contract with the Panthers in the summer of 2016, Oher was cut from the team a year later due to him failing a physical.

Life After NFL

(Photo: Streeter Lecka / Staff, Getty)

Currently, Oher is dedicating his time to helping others through his new app, Good Deeds. In an interview with PEOPLE, Oher said: "I'm still traumatized and I still deal with things that I dealt with as a kid. If you're still dealing with trauma, [therapy] is definitely needed early on, because I had to do that to get back healthy."

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