But they did know/guess he was a potential football recruit. And they did know Michael Lewis, who pretty quickly turned this tale into a book.
I don’t think they had a history of taking kids into their home . Again, I could be wrong on that. He benefited from their help, no doubt. In his memoir, he does mention others that helped him as a teen, such as the Franklin family.
It is unfortunate that this has gotten to a lawsuit.
Hugh Freeze’s thoughts.
Freeze has lots of skeletons in his closet. Not sure he is the best person to weigh in on any of this at all.
No skeletons. He’s a guy. He did a dumb guy thing. He’s a coach. Most if not all do dumb thing.
It’s just another perspective from someone involved.
Not everyone is lying and deceitful.
It’s his perspective.
Again, none of us know - we don’t know any of the people involved.
The fact that conservatorships of vulnerable, wealthy young people can be put into place and last for years and years is really shocking in this day.
There seem a number of parallels to Brittney Spears situation - she had some erratic behavior and was put in a full conservatorship for year after year - while being required to perform onstage and earn millions for her conservators. Meanwhile wealthy, white male celebrities such as Charlie Sheen act bizarrely with impunity.
In this case a man is earning money, raising a family - and somehow a conservatorship is still in place for decades?
More oversight (and reform) seems needed as to the standard(s) for establishment, the scope, and termination timeline/process.
Well, i guess maybe a case then of boys will be boys and coaches will be coaches!
Freeze goes way back to the Briarcrest Christian days and seems to have an interesting story since then. But Wikipedia doesn’t always tell the whole story. And Freeze is still coachiing .
Michael Oher didn’t have a dime when placed into a conservatorship. He could have, should have, petitioned to have it terminated years ago and he’s doing that now.
If he’s been estranged from the Tuohys for 10 years, has anyone been enforcing the conservatorship? Is he signing contracts, buying houses, getting married without permission? Is he filing his own taxes (or with his wife)?
I think that’s the issue of the lawsuit. Michael Oher wants to dissolve the conservatorship. And he wants an account of the money the family received from the movie.
I’m not sure Oher was the one who “released” news of the lawsuit. I think it was a journalist who uncovered that a lawsuit was filed. Yes Oher has a book coming out. But I’m not convinced that he wanted the lawsuit to be public knowledge. He might have known it was going to be.
The Tuohy’s have made money on being the subjects of this book and movie. LeAnne makes $$$ money as a motivational speaker. I think all of the people involved in the book made money off of it.
I’m less impressed with the author Michael Lewis.
How about the episode of Below Deck that’s floating around? The Tuohys are wining and dining and the captain asks them about the movie. Sean Tuohy brags about phone calls with Harvey Weinstein and Spielberg and demanding to read the script and approve it before it’s a movie. A movie that Oher didn’t like from the start. I just think it’s interesting.
TBH it does not look like the Tuohys were acting on the conservatorship… beyond the initial year and Michael’s matriculation to Ole Miss. I have not heard anything about them managing his NFL money, endorsements, etc. One of the articles stated they may have been estranged for 10 years.
Not sure I would put much credence into a Below Deck episode.
Years ago I went to a lunch where both Leann Touhy and Michael Oher were speaking and sharing about their story. He obviously went on the promotion tour following the movie so perhaps he did not dislike how he was portrayed until later.
Fact check…Oher filed a petition, not a lawsuit.
“Oher’s petition asks the court to end the Tuohys’ conservatorship and to issue an injunction barring them from using his name and likeness. It also seeks a full accounting of the money the Tuohys earned using Oher’s name, and to have the couple pay him his fair share of profits, as well as unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.”
Numerous teammates from when he first started in the NFL have said that he disliked the portrayal as not being intelligent and having to be “taught “ to play football - a sport he had been studying and playing well before the Tuohys came along. He felt the movie created assumptions about him that could affect his life and career.
But he also said that the movie was inspirational for so many that he appreciated that aspect of it.
This is an interesting interview with Michael Lewis from 2006 when the book was published. He notes that he had no involvement with the film:
I agree, the more I read the less shocked I am that its still in place two decades later, it seems its not something ever reviewed or renewed by the courts and there is no legal deference to it unless the conservator chooses to enforce it. Seems like its just been lying dormant, obviously unnecessary and not warranted all this time but also no harm no foul either.
I read that Tuohy’s did split the money amongst them and tried to give him his share but he was angry with the movie’s portrayal of him and refused to accept it, so they put it in a trust for him. Obviously one sided account and who knows if its true but I would think that would be something easily fact checked and quickly resolved.
The ‘unspecified damages’ is going to be harder to hash out…
What is the source of the quoted material? Just curious. That sounds reasonable.
The article linked in the OP
Once again, a reminder that CC is not a debate society. State your position and move one, or take it to PM. Thank you. Flagged posts not adhering to this will be deleted going forward.