Michael Oher Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What Is Michael Oher’s Net Worth and Salary?

Michael Oher, an American football offensive tackle, boasts a net worth of $12 million. Once a homeless teenager, Oher was welcomed by a wealthy family, transforming into a standout offensive tackle in both college and the NFL. In the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft, he was chosen by the Baltimore Ravens, contributing to their victory in Super Bowl XLVII during his rookie year. Oher spent four seasons with the Ravens before moving to the Tennessee Titans in 2014, where he played for two seasons before joining the Carolina Panthers in 2017. His NFL career came to an end in 2017.

As many are aware, Oher’s inspiring personal journey 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 Oher in the film.

Contracts, Salary, and Career Earnings

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

Upon joining the league, he inked a 5-year contract worth $13.495 million with the Ravens, which included $6.88 million guaranteed. During his rookie campaign, he earned $310,000 alongside a signing bonus of $942,000.

Before the 2014 season commenced, Oher entered a 4-year, $20 million agreement with the Tennessee Titans, which featured a $4 million signing bonus and $9.35 million guaranteed. He was released by the Titans in February 2015 and soon after, he signed a 2-year, $7 million contract with the Carolina Panthers, including a $2.5 million bonus and $2.5 million guaranteed.

His last NFL agreement was a 3-year $21.6 million deal with the Panthers, executed in 2016, which came with a $4 million signing bonus and $9.5 million guaranteed. In July 2017, the Panthers released him after he did not pass a physical exam.

2023 Complaint Against the Tuohy Family

On August 14, 2023, news broke of Michael’s shocking petition to a Tennessee court, alleging that the primary narrative of “The Blind Side” was a fabricated story “concocted” by the Tuohy family to profit at his expense. He requested the termination of Sean and Leigh Anne’s conservatorship, a fair share of profits from the film, compensatory and punitive damages, and sought to prohibit the couple from using his name in any future endeavors.

Among other startling claims, Michael asserted in his petition that he was never formally adopted by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy; rather, he was placed under their conservatorship. This distinction matters because, under a conservatorship, he lacked a familial bond with the Tuohys, allowing the family to negotiate deals using his identity, allegedly without compensating him for royalties derived from the movie and other media platforms featuring his name and likeness. The petition alleged that the family negotiated an arrangement that granted both Tuohy parents and their two kids, Sean Jr. and Collins, $225,000 each, alongside 2.5% of the “defined net proceeds” from “The Blind Side’s” box office, DVD sales, and streaming revenues.

“The Blind Side” grossed $300 million at the box office, having been produced on a budget of $30 million. Based on typical film profit analyses, it can be assumed there were at least $150 million in net proceeds. If this assumption holds, each of the four Tuohys likely received $225,000 PLUS $3.75 million in royalties over time purely from box office receipts, excluding DVD and streaming revenue.

Michael’s petition contended that he had not profited from this money while the Tuohy family amassed millions. Additionally, Oher alleged that the family coerced him into signing a contract in 2007.

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

This statement is at odds with Leigh Anne’s account in her 2010 book “In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving.” According to Leigh Anne, the earnings from the film were divided “five ways.” However, Michael’s petition asserts that he did not receive any monetary compensation from the movie.

“The Blind Side” Royalties

Following his claims, Alcon, the studio behind “The Blind Side,” issued a statement that disclosed the total amount paid to Oher and the Tuohy family. In the statement:

“Alcon has paid approximately $767,000 to the talent agency representing the Tuohy family and Michael Oher.” … The agency likely took a 10% commission before distributing the royalties… “We expect that Michael Oher and the Tuohy family will see further profits as audiences continue to enjoy this true story in the years ahead.”

By doing a quick calculation, after the agency deducted its 10% fee, the remaining $690,000 was to be shared among Michael Oher and the four members of the Tuohy family. This amounts to $138,000 for each person before taxes.

Early Life

On May 28, 1986, Michael Oher was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He is the son of Denise Oher, who struggled with alcoholism and crack cocaine addiction, and Michael Jerome Williams, who frequently faced incarceration. Due to these circumstances, Michael experienced minimal attention or discipline throughout his childhood. He repeated both the first and second grades, attending eleven different schools during his first nine years of education. At the age of seven, he entered foster care and transitioned between several foster homes and periods of homelessness. Michael’s biological father, a former cellmate of Denise Oher’s brother, was killed in prison when Michael was a senior in high school. At 16, he was taken in by Sean Tuohy and Leigh Anne Tuohy, who became his legal guardians when he turned 17. They arranged for a tutor to assist Michael with his schoolwork for 20 hours each week.

High School

During his freshman year at a public high school in Memphis, Oher began to play football. His performance in football significantly improved by his junior year. In 2003, Michael earned the title of Division II Lineman of the Year and was named to the First Team Tennessee All-State. He also received two letters each for track and basketball. By the start of his senior year, Oher had become the starting left tackle for the varsity football team, and he was a state runner-up in the discus event during his senior year. Initially, Oher faced challenges with his low grades, which hindered his acceptance into an NCAA program. However, he successfully raised his GPA from 0.76 to 2.52, allowing him to qualify for a Division 1 school. This improvement was achieved by taking online courses at Brigham Young University, where he replaced his Ds and Fs with As, ultimately surpassing the minimum GPA required for graduation. Michael rapidly gained recognition as a top football prospect in Tennessee, which opened the door to numerous scholarship opportunities.receiving scholarship offers from multiple Division 1 schools but ultimately decided to join the Ole Miss Rebels at the University of Mississippi. These offers included opportunities from Tennessee, LSU, Alabama, Auburn, and South Carolina.

College Career

In his debut season with the Ole Miss Rebels, Oher made ten starts at the guard position and quickly achieved recognition as a first-team Freshman All-American. He transitioned to left tackle for the 2006 season, earning a spot on several preseason All-Conference and All-American teams. Oher received second-team Southeastern Conference honors after his sophomore year and was named a first-team SEC offensive lineman during his junior year. Academically, he also excelled at Ole Miss, witnessing a 30-point increase in his tested IQ score compared to his childhood measurements. He achieved honor roll status during his sophomore year. In January 2008, Oher announced his intention to forego his college education for the 2008 NFL Draft, but just two days later, he reversed his decision to return to Ole Miss for his senior year. Following the conclusion of the 2008 season, he was unanimously recognized as a first-team All-American and achieved honor roll status for the second time in his college tenure. He graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice in the spring of 2009, leaving his college football career with numerous awards and notable honors.

Pro Career

Before completing his college education, Oher was already forecasted as one of the leading prospects for the 2009 NFL Draft. The Baltimore Ravens selected him as the 23rd pick in the first round of the draft after acquiring the pick from the New England Patriots in exchange for their first and fifth-round selections. His adoptive family, the Tuohys, were present to celebrate his selection on draft day. Michael signed a five-year, $13.8 million contract with the Ravens on July 30, 2009. He commenced the 2009 season as a right tackle but transitioned to left tackle due to an injury to lineman Jared Gaither, and within eight weeks, he shifted back to right tackle. Oher started every game throughout the 2009 season, alternating between the two tackle positions. In his first postseason game in January 2010 against the New England Patriots, he played as right tackle, not allowing a single sack, which contributed to the Ravens’ 33-13 victory. Oher placed second in the voting for the Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, receiving six votes. In February 2013, he celebrated his first Super Bowl victory after the Ravens triumphed over the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII.

In March 2014, Oher signed a four-year contract worth $20 million with the Tennessee Titans. He played eleven games for the Titans but was placed on injured reserve on December 13 after sitting out two games due to a toe injury. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 74th-best tackle out of 78 for the 2014 season. On February 5, 2015, the Titans released Oher.

A month later, he inked a two-year contract worth $7 million with the Carolina Panthers. Oher indicated that Cam Newton played a significant role in his decision to join Carolina. He ultimately ended up…

Oher had one of his finest seasons as a professional, safeguarding Newton’s blind side. He entered the season as the starting left tackle, despite challenges faced in Tennessee, and Panthers GM Dave Gettleman remarked: “We conducted thorough research on Michael, and we are confident he can serve as a solution for us. He’ll take on the left tackle position, and we’ll proceed from there.” Oher participated in 98.4% of the team’s snaps and incurred just three penalties totaling 25 yards.

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

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

Personal Life

Michael Oher began dating Tiffany Roy after they first met at the University of Mississippi. Together, the couple has four children: two sons and two daughters. They became engaged in July 2021 and exchanged vows on November 5, 2022, in Nashville, Tennessee, after 17 years as a couple.

Despite the acclaim of “The Blind Side” film, Oher expressed disappointment, indicating that it hindered his football career. In his autobiography released in 2011, “I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness to ‘The Blind Side’ and Beyond,” Michael mentioned that he was portrayed as less extroverted than he truly is and emphasized that his understanding of football was developed well before the Tuohys entered his life.

After joining the Tennessee Titans in May 2014, Oher purchased a home in Brentwood for $1.3 million.