Featuring retired NFL star Michael Oher‘s story, CNN’s latest documentary, Blindsided, is now streaming on Max. The documentary challenges the 2009 Oscar-winning film The Blind Side’s inaccuracies, delving into his recent lawsuit against the Tuohy family’s conservatorship.
HuffPost reported that CNN interviewed Oher’s foster brothers, Nate and Quwanda Hale. The Hale brothers alleged that the critically acclaimed film overstated that retired athlete’s financial hardships. They also revealed that his life before the Tuohys took him in was different from what the film depicted on-screen.
The Blind Side depicts “something that didn’t occur,” said Michael Oher’s foster brothers
According to People, Michael Oher’s foster brothers, Nate and Quwanda Hale, said on Blindsided that they were “blessed” with a foster mom who “provided for us.” The Hale brothers claimed they had a front-row seat to what life was like for Oher back then. They even mentioned one scene from The Blind Side, which shows Oher telling Leigh Anne Tuohy, the foster mom, that he has never had a bed for himself before.
However, the Hale brothers claimed that the scene “is depicting something that didn’t occur.” They stated that the foster system requires that each child “have their own space.” Nate even added that Oher, now 37, was never unhappy as portrayed in the film. The brother claimed that they always knew Oher wished to play football and wanted the sport to be his future. Nate Hale reportedly said, “Michael pretty much grasped the concept that everyone else grasped — this is not the end of your life — let this be a step towards the beginning of a new life.”
The outlet reported that the former NFL legend’s catholic school friend and fellow football player Quinterio Franklin also made a few revelations. In The Blind Side, the Tuohy family took Oher in when he had nowhere to go. However, Franklin claimed that Oher started living with them as it was convenient for him. His school was close to their home and Sean Tuohy was a volunteer coach for the team.
Blindsided addresses several other inaccuracies from The Blind Side and includes interviews with people from Michael Oher’s past.
