By Nigel Boys
Leigh Anne Tuohy, the woman who adopted 29-year-old offensive lineman for the Carolina Panthers, Michael Jerome Oher, when he was a teenager moving in and out of the foster care system, has spoken of her pride of what he has achieved.
In an interview with Today, the biological mother of two other children, 29-year-old Collins Tuohy and 22-year-old Sean Tuohy, said that it is “amazing” to see that Oher is now returning to the Super Bowl this Sunday.
“I’m going to put my bling jersey on, and be the proudest, most obnoxious momma I can possibly be,” Tuohy said, according to the Daily Mail.
Oher’s early years with the Baltimore Ravens inspired the book by Michael Lewis, “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game. It was later turned into a 2009 film, “The Blind Side,” in which Sandra Bullock was given an Oscar for her portrayal of Tuohy.
The NFL player who previously played for the Tennessee Titans was born in 1986 to Denise Oher, a drug addict and convicted father, Michael Williams. He had to repeat both first and second grades in school because of a troubled childhood.
After being dumped into foster care at the age of seven, Oher was adopted in his teens by Tuohy, who nurtured his love of football and encouraged him to attend the University of Mississippi on a scholarship.
After being picked by the Ravens during the first round in 2009, he won the Super Bowl with them in 2013 against the San Francisco 49ers, despite being swapped from left to right tackle. He was then transferred out to the Titans, but suffered a dire season in 2014 as he was plagued by a career-low sack rate. He was eventually dropped from the team when he injured a toe.
Oher’s luck changed in 2015 when he was picked up by the Panthers after quarterback Cam Newton sought him to defend his blind side in the left tackle position. He went on to play his best season yet, with a career-low four sacks in 16 starts and a total of 3 penalties for 25 yards, after having surgery to fix his toe.
The former homeless teenager will now play against Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos, who are favorites, in Sunday’s clash at the Super Bowl.
“It has been an amazing journey. Literally not one part of it was anticipated,” said Tuohy. “Since the book and movie came out, [husband] Sean and I have written our own book, I’ve written books, and we spend most of our time on the road doing motivational speaking,” she added.
“We are big proponents of the saying, ‘to whom much is given, much is required,’ so we try to give back as much as we can,” Tuohy said.
“I want to see a revolution of kindness, because what happens is, when you’re kind and you give, it’s infectious,” Tuohy continued when asked about her role as the Blind Side Mom and her new book, Turn Around. “You give one time, and it’s a great feeling and you want to do it again and again,” she added.
However, Oher doesn’t appear to be overly keen about the film and the attention it has given him.
When asked to clarify Oher’s statement to reporters that he wasn’t a fan of the movie, Tuohy said that her son felt that the fame the film brought him has led to him being unfairly scrutinized and exposed him to the watchful eyes of the media.
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