Michael Oher Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What Is Michael Oher’s Net Worth and Salary?

Michael Oher, an American football offensive tackle, possesses a net worth of $12 million. Once a homeless teenager, he was welcomed into a wealthy family and went on to become a standout offensive tackle both in college and the NFL. In the 2009 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected him in the first round, and he contributed to the team’s victory in Super Bowl XLVII during his rookie year. Oher played with the Ravens for four years before moving to the Tennessee Titans in 2014, where he spent two seasons before signing with the Carolina Panthers in 2017. He announced his retirement from the NFL in the same year.

As many know, Michael Oher’s extraordinary life was depicted in the 2009 Academy Award-winning film “The Blind Side,” featuring Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw as his adoptive parents, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy. Quinton Aaron portrayed the character of Michael.

Contracts, Salary, and Career Earnings

Throughout his NFL career, Michael Oher accumulated a total salary of $34 million.

When he entered the league, he agreed to a 5-year contract worth $13.495 million with the Ravens, which included $6.88 million guaranteed. In his first season, he earned $310,000 along with a signing bonus of $942,000.

Before the 2014 season began, Michael secured a 4-year, $20 million contract with the Tennessee Titans, which came with a $4 million signing bonus and $9.35 million guaranteed. He was released by the Titans in February 2015 and then went on to sign a 2-year, $7 million agreement with the Carolina Panthers, which involved a $2.5 million bonus and $2.5 million guaranteed.

His last NFL deal was a 3-year, $21.6 million contract with the Panthers, signed in 2016, providing a $4 million signing bonus and $9.5 million guaranteed. However, he was released by the Panthers in July 2017 after failing a physical examination.

2023 Complaint Against the Tuohy Family

On August 14, 2023, a significant petition from Michael surfaced in a Tennessee court, alleging that the main narrative of “The Blind Side” was a fabricated story orchestrated by the Tuohy family for their own financial gain at his expense. The petition sought to terminate the conservatorship held by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, demand just compensation for his share of the film’s profits, and both compensatory and punitive damages, also requesting that the couple be prohibited from exploiting his name in future works.

Among the shocking accusations, Michael’s petition asserted that he was never properly adopted by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, being placed instead under a conservatorship. This matters significantly, as it means he did not hold a legal family relationship with the Tuohys, allowing them to negotiate contracts in his name, allegedly without offering him any portion of the profits generated through the film and other media featuring his name and likeness. It was claimed that the family reached an agreement that rewarded both Tuohy parents and their children, Sean Jr. and Collins, $225,000 each, along with 2.5% of the “defined net proceeds” earned from “The Blind Side” through box office sales, DVD releases, and streaming income.

With “The Blind Side” earning $300 million in theaters against a $30 million budget, one could estimate at least $150 million in net proceeds were generated. If this holds true, the four Tuohys likely received $225,000 each PLUS $3.75 million in royalties accrued over time based solely on box office income, excluding revenue from DVD and streaming.

Michael’s petition contended that he did not receive any of that money while the family amassed significant wealth. To compound the situation, Oher claimed that the family coerced him into signing a contract in 2007.

that granted 20th Century Fox the life rights to his story “without any payment whatsoever.“

This is at odds with Leigh Anne’s assertion in her 2010 book “In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving.” In her book, Leigh Anne stated they divided the movie’s profits “five ways.” However, Michael’s petition asserts that he did not receive any money from the film at all.

“The Blind Side” Royalties

In response to his allegations, Alcon, the studio behind “The Blind Side,” issued a statement detailing the payments made to Oher and the Tuohy family. The statement included:

“Alcon has compensated the talent agency representing the Tuohy family and Michael Oher with approximately $767,000.”… It is assumed that the agency took a 10% commission before distributing the royalties… “We expect that as audiences continue to enjoy this true story in the following years, the Tuohy family and Michael Oher will receive additional profits.”

A bit of quick arithmetic shows that following the talent agency’s 10% deduction, $690,000 remains to be divided among the four Tuohy family members and Michael Oher. This results in $138,000 per individual, pre-tax.

Early Life

Born on May 28, 1986, in Memphis, Tennessee, Michael Oher is the child of Denise Oher, an alcoholic and crack cocaine addict, and Michael Jerome Williams, who spent a lot of time incarcerated. His difficult childhood resulted in minimal attention or discipline. Michael repeated both first and second grades and attended eleven different schools in his initial nine years as a student. By age seven, he entered foster care, oscillating between living in various foster homes and experiencing periods of homelessness. Tragically, Michael’s biological father, a former inmate of Denise Oher’s brother, was murdered in prison while Michael was in his senior year of high school. At the age of 16, Sean Tuohy and Leigh Anne Tuohy took him in, becoming his legal guardians at 17. They employed a tutor who collaborated with him for 20 hours weekly on his schoolwork.

High School

During his freshman year at a public high school in Memphis, Oher began playing football. By his junior year, he started to thrive in the sport. Michael garnered the title of Division II Lineman of the Year in 2003 and was named to the First Team Tennessee All-State. Additionally, he received two letters in both track and basketball. As his senior year commenced, Oher held the position of starting left tackle on the varsity football team and was a state runner-up in the discus. Initially, Oher faced challenges with his low grades that hindered his acceptance into an NCAA program, but he managed to raise his GPA from 0.76 to 2.52, enabling him to apply to a Division 1 school. He accomplished this by enrolling in online courses at Brigham Young University, replacing his earlier Ds and Fs with As until his graduating GPA exceeded the necessary minimum. Michael rapidly evolved into a premier football prospect in Tennessee, leading to numerous scholarship offers.receiving offers from Division 1 schools. Ultimately, he made the decision to join the Ole Miss Rebels at the University of Mississippi for college football, despite having scholarship offers from Tennessee, LSU, Alabama, Auburn, and South Carolina.

College Career

During his debut season with the Ole Miss Rebels, Oher started in ten games as a guard and earned recognition as a first-team freshman All-American. In the 2006 season, after transitioning to left tackle, he garnered spots on several preseason All-Conference and All-American teams. Following his second year, he was recognized as a second-team Southeastern Conference offensive lineman, and after his junior year, he attained first-team status. Academically, Oher excelled at Ole Miss, with his IQ score increasing by 30 points from childhood to his college assessment. His sophomore year saw him make the honor roll. In January 2008, Oher announced his intention to leave school for the 2008 NFL draft, but just two days later, he reversed his decision to return for his senior year. Post the 2008 season, he was unanimously acknowledged as a first-team All-American and earned a second honor roll distinction. Graduating in spring 2009 with a Criminal Justice degree, he concluded his college football journey with over a dozen accolades and honors in the sport.

Pro Career

Prior to graduation, Oher was already recognized as one of the top prospects for the 2009 NFL Draft. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the 23rd pick in the first round, a pick they acquired from the New England Patriots for their first and fifth-round selections. Oher’s adoptive family, the Tuohys, were present to witness his selection. On July 30, 2009, he signed a five-year, $13.8 million contract with the Ravens. He began the 2009 season at right tackle but switched to left tackle due to an injury suffered by lineman Jared Gaither, only to revert back to right tackle after eight weeks. Oher participated in every game that season, alternating between tackle positions. In his inaugural post-season matchup against the New England Patriots in January 2010, he played right tackle and notably did not permit any sacks, contributing to the Ravens’ 33-13 victory. Michael placed second in the Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, receiving six votes. In February 2013, he earned his first Super Bowl ring when the Ravens triumphed over the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII.

In March 2014, Oher inked a four-year, $20 million deal with the Tennessee Titans, starting eleven games before being placed on injured reserve on December 13, following two missed games due to a toe injury. Pro Football Focus rated him the 74th-best tackle out of 78 for the 2014 season. Subsequently, he was released by the Titans on February 5, 2015.

A month later, he signed a two-year, $7 million contract with the Carolina Panthers, noting that Cam Newton significantly influenced his choice to join the team. He concluded up…

As a professional, Oher played one of his best seasons, effectively safeguarding Newton’s blind side. Although he faced difficulties during his time in Tennessee, he was the starting left tackle at the season’s start. Panthers GM Dave Gettleman noted, “We did our homework on Michael, and we feel very strongly that he can be an answer for us. He’ll be inserted at left tackle, and we’ll go from there.” During the season, Oher participated in 98.4% of the team’s plays, receiving only three penalties totaling 25 yards.

On February 7, 2016, Oher was a member of the Panthers squad that played in the Super Bowl, ultimately losing to the Denver Broncos with a score of 24-10.

Oher signed a three-year contract extension with the Panthers in June 2016, valued at $21.6 million, which included $9.5 million guaranteed. Unfortunately, just three games into the season, he suffered a concussion and was placed on injured reserve on November 25, 2016. Sadly, on July 20, 2017, he was released by the Panthers following a failed physical examination.

Personal Life

The relationship between Michael Oher and Tiffany Roy began after they first encountered each other at the University of Mississippi. Together, they have four children: two sons and two daughters. They became engaged in July 2021 and wed on November 5, 2022, in Nashville, Tennessee, after being together for 17 years.

Despite the acclaim of “The Blind Side” film, Oher expressed disappointment about it, stating it adversely impacted his football career. In his 2011 autobiography, “I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness to ‘The Blind Side’ and Beyond,” Michael mentioned that he was far more extroverted than depicted in the film, and that his football knowledge developed well before the Tuohys entered his life.

In May 2014, after joining the Tennessee Titans, Oher acquired a home in Brentwood for $1.3 million.