Michael Oher is not broke but has a net worth of $12 million in 2023. The subject of The Blind Side, Oher was homeless and lived in poverty as a child.
The Blind Side has showcased the life story of Oher who was supposedly adopted out of poverty and went from rags to riches as he became a football player in the NFL. The movie has made some changes to the original story.
He was never adopted by the Tuohy family and some finer details in the movie are depicted differently. He is shown to be an introvert in the movie and had less knowledge about football before meeting his guardians. Well, that was not entirely true as he states it was the complete opposite in the real world.
Michael Oher and the Tuohy family are in the midst of what could be a lengthy court battle. Oher has filed a petition in Shelby County, Tennessee, probate court with the allegations that his guardians misled him and now is demanding an end to the conservatorship.
It is yet too early to come up with a judgment regarding who is right or who is wrong as both parties have their own rights and wrongs. Keeping the proceedings aside, let us look at Michael Oher's earnings and worth.
Michael Oher Earnings In The Blind Side
Michael Oher salary or the money he made off the movie The Blind Side is zero, as stated in the petition. The Tuohy family received a $225,000 contract price.
In addition to the six-figure payout, the family including Tuohy's two biological children also received 2.5% of the movie's proceeds. Oher on the other hand, states that he did not receive any form of payment for the film.
Sean has said that Oher was never cut or left out of the movie profits and the Oscar-winning movie grossed $309.2 million at the Box Office. In addition, Leigh Anne Tuohy's charitable foundation also received a donation of $200,000.
According to the petition, the Tuohy family has been paid millions in royalties from the movie that was entirely based on Micheal Oher. The film is based on his life story, and Oher states that he has not signed an agreement for the rights of his story and name to be used in the movie.
The document does have a similar signature to that of Oher, but he has claimed that "nobody ever presented this document to him with any explanation."
Sean Tuohy has said that Michael Lewis, the book's author by the same name had given the family half of his share. He further claims that the family did not make any money off the movie, and each family member, including Oher received an equal share of $14,000 given by Lewis.
Per People, The petition filed by Oher states alleges that the Tuohys misled him into signing a conservatorship that would grant the family legal authority to make deals on his behalf and use his name. Oher thought that the papers he signed were needed for his adoption and willingly signed them.
Oher believes that the adoption story was a complete hoax and was manipulated into believing that signing those papers would make him a member of the Tuohy family. Sadly, that had not been the case for Michael Oher.
If the family did make money off the movie, Oher's petition also seeks that he receives a fair share of profits from the movies and other projects that used his name. He is asking for a fair and full accounting of the money in addition to compensatory and punitive damages.
Why was the conservatorship needed?
For Michael Oher to become eligible to attend the University of Mississippi, a conservatorship was the only choice. He was over the age of 18, and adopting him was not possible for the Tuohys.
The NCAA had said that for Michael Oher to attend Ole Miss, he has to be part of the family. Sean states that he and Michael had a talk, and if he is planning to join Ole Miss, he will have to be part of the family via the conservatorship.
Even during the court proceedings, Sean ensured that Oher's biological mother was present so that everything could be processed legally and without any complications.
After learning about the allegations against the family, Sean has decided and is willing to end the conservatorship.
Michael Oher Career Earnings
Michael Oher made around $34,506,875 in his eight seasons in the NFL. He played from 2009-2017 for three different franchises.
| Team (Year) | Estimated Earnings |
| Baltimore Ravens (2009) | $1,252,000 |
| Baltimore Ravens (2010) | $6,963,000 |
| Baltimore Ravens (2011) | $630,000 |
| Baltimore Ravens (2012) | $865,000 |
| Baltimore Ravens (2013) | $3,785,000 |
| Tennessee Titans (2014) | $6,000,000 |
| Tennessee Titans (2015) | $1,340,000 |
| Carolina Panthers (2015) | $3,671,875 |
| Carolina Panthers (2016) | $7,750,000 |
| Carolina Panthers (2017) | $2,250,000 |
| Total | $34,506,875 |
NFL Teams He Played For
Michael Oher's football career kickstarted with playing for the Ole Miss Rebels from 2005-2008. He joined the same university that his guardians had graduated from.
His performances in collegiate football were well recognized and was bound to become one of the top prospects for the upcoming Draft in 2009.
Michael Oher has been part of three different teams in his not-so-glorious career as an NFL player. Although he won the Super Bowl XLVII and played 110 games, he did not quite live up to the expectations of being one of the brightest prospects.
Baltimore Ravens (2009-2013)
Michael Oher NFL career started with the Baltimore Ravens. He was drafted as the 23rd overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft and signed a $13.8 million contract.
His contract tenure was for five years and was positioned and started at right tackle before being moved to the left. He was a regular starter at either right tackle or left in 2009. He also won his one and only Super Bowl in 2013 as the starting right tackle.
Tennessee Titans (2014)
Oher signed a $20 million four-year contract with the Titans in March 2014. He was put on the injury reserve at the end of the year having started 11 games for the Titans. He was released in February 2015.
Carolina Panthers (2015-2016)
Michael Oher NFL teams where he ended his career was the Carolina Panthers. It was his third and final team before he hung up his boots.
Soon after being released by the Titans, Oher was signed by the Carolina Panthers in March which was worth $7 million and the contract was valid for a two-year period. He had a good season with the Panthers and went on feature in his second Super Bowl but this time in a losing cause.
The following year, he signed a three-year extension for $21.6 million and guaranteed earnings of $9.5 million. With luck not by his side, he suffered a concussion, and once again was placed on injured reserve and only participated in three games. After a failed physical in 2017, he was released.
Michael Oher Net Worth 2023
Michael Oher net worth is estimated to be $12 million in 2023 according to Celebrity Net Worth. His yearly earnings are estimated to be $2.7 million.
He has signed some lucrative deals while he was in the NFL and with the help of the big paychecks, he bought a $1.3 million Brentwood home in May 2014. Apart from that, his autobiography "I Beat the Odds" was also a hit and was a best seller.
The majority of his revenue has come from his time as a football player. There is no other confirmed source of income that has been made public as of yet.
Since Oher has played eight seasons in the NFL, he is also eligible for the NFL Pension Plan. The average pension salary in the NFL is $46,000 and he will be able to enjoy the benefits once he turns 55.
