Michael Oher Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What Is Michael Oher’s Net Worth and Salary?

The net worth of Michael Oher, an American football offensive tackle, stands at $12 million. Once a homeless teenager, he was welcomed into a wealthy family and went on to shine as an offensive tackle both in college and in the NFL. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens as a first-round pick during the 2009 NFL Draft and contributed to the team’s victory at Super Bowl XLVII in his inaugural season. Oher spent four seasons playing for the Ravens before he joined the Tennessee Titans in 2014. After two seasons with the Titans, he signed with the Carolina Panthers in 2017, the same year he decided to retire from the NFL.

You might be aware that Michael Oher’s inspirational journey was depicted in the Oscar-winning film “The Blind Side” released in 2009, featuring Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw as his adoptive parents, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy. Quinton Aaron portrayed Michael in the film.

Contracts, Salary, and Career Earnings

Throughout his time in the NFL, Michael Oher accumulated a total salary of $34 million.

Upon his entry into the league, he signed a contract with the Ravens for 5 years valued at $13.495 million, including $6.88 million guaranteed. During his rookie year, he earned $310,000 along with a signing bonus of $942,000.

Just before the 2014 season kicked off, Michael secured a 4-year contract for $20 million with the Tennessee Titans, which featured a signing bonus of $4 million and guarantees amounting to $9.35 million. However, he was released by the Titans in February 2015 and went on to sign a 2-year deal with the Carolina Panthers worth $7 million that included a $2.5 million bonus and $2.5 million in guarantees.

His last NFL contract was with the Panthers, a 3-year deal valued at $21.6 million, which he signed in 2016; this contract included a $4 million signing bonus and $9.5 million in guarantees. In July 2017, he was released by the Panthers after not passing a physical exam.

2023 Complaint Against the Tuohy Family

On August 14, 2023, it came to light that Michael had lodged a significant petition with a Tennessee court, alleging that the fundamental narrative of “The Blind Side” was fabricated by the Tuohy family to financially benefit themselves at his expense. The petition sought the termination of Sean and Leigh Anne’s conservatorship, financial compensation from the film profits, and to prevent the couple from using his name in any forthcoming projects.

The petition included other startling claims, asserting that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy never officially adopted him and instead placed him under a conservatorship. This distinction is crucial because it would mean he lacked a familial link with the Tuohys, allowing the family to enter into agreements in his name, supposedly without compensating him for the royalties generated by both the movie and other media using his name or likeness. According to the petition, the Tuohy family entered a deal that granted them and their two children, Sean Jr. and Collins, $225,000 and an additional 2.5% of the “defined net proceeds” generated by “The Blind Side” through box office sales, DVD sales, and streaming earnings.

With “The Blind Side” raking in $300 million at the box office against a budget of $30 million, estimates suggest there were potentially at least $150 million in net proceeds. If this estimate holds, each of the four Tuohys might have received not only $225,000 but also an additional $3.75 million in royalties from box office receipts alone, excluding DVD and streaming earnings.

Michael’s petition stated that he did not receive any portion of this revenue while the Tuohys profited immensely. Moreover, he asserted that the family coerced him into signing a contract back in 2007.

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

This is in opposition to what Leigh Anne stated in her 2010 book “In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving.” In that book, Leigh Anne asserted that the money from the movie was divided “five ways.” However, Michael’s petition contends that he has not received any money from the film at all.

“The Blind Side” Royalties

Following his allegations, Alcon, the studio behind “The Blind Side,” issued a statement detailing the total amount paid to Oher and the Tuoys. Excerpt from the statement:

“Alcon has disbursed roughly $767,000 to the talent agency representing the Tuohy family and Michael Oher.”… Presumably, the agency took a 10% commission before distributing the royalties… “We expect the Tuohy family and Michael Oher will earn further profits as audiences continue to appreciate this authentic story in the coming years.”

A brief calculation shows that after the 10% fee taken by the talent agency, the total left amounts to $690,000, which is divided among the four members of the Tuohy family and Michael Oher. This results in $138,000 per person, before taxes.

Early Life

Born on May 28, 1986, in Memphis, Tennessee, Michael Oher is the child of Denise Oher, who struggled with alcoholism and crack cocaine addiction, and Michael Jerome Williams, who was often incarcerated. Due to this challenging upbringing, Michael received minimal attention or guidance during his early years. He repeated both first and second grades, attending eleven different schools throughout his first nine years in education. At the age of seven, he was placed into foster care and bounced between several foster homes and bouts of homelessness. His biological father, a former inmate of Denise Oher’s brother, was murdered in prison while Michael was a senior in high school. At 16, he was eventually 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, dedicating 20 hours a week to his schooling.

High School

During his freshman year at a public high school in Memphis, Oher began his football journey. He started to shine in football during his junior year, earning the title of Division II Lineman of the Year in 2003 and being named to the First Team Tennessee All-State. In addition, he received two letters each in track and basketball. By the start of his senior year, Oher was the varsity football team’s starting left tackle and achieved a state runner-up position in the discus throw as a senior. Although his initial low grades hindered his acceptance into an NCAA program, he raised his GPA from 0.76 to 2.52 to qualify for a Division 1 school. This improvement involved taking online courses from Brigham Young University and substituting previous low grades with higher marks until he surpassed the required minimum for graduation. Michael quickly emerged as a top football prospect in Tennessee, attracting various scholarship offers.

having received offers from Division 1 schools. Ultimately, he decided to play college football with the Ole Miss Rebels at the University of Mississippi, despite receiving scholarship offers from Tennessee, LSU, Alabama, Auburn, and South Carolina.

College Career

During his premiere season with the Ole Miss Rebels, Oher started in ten games as a guard. He swiftly gained recognition as a first-team freshman All-American. Transitioning to the position of left tackle for the 2006 season, Michael earned spots on multiple preseason All-Conference and All-American teams. Following his sophomore year, he was recognized as a second-team Southeastern Conference offensive lineman, and after his junior year, he was named a first-team SEC offensive lineman. Academically, Oher excelled at Ole Miss, seeing a 30-point increase in his IQ score from childhood to college. He achieved honor roll status in his sophomore year. In January 2008, Oher initially declared his intention to leave school for the 2008 NFL draft, but just two days later, he reversed his decision and returned to Ole Miss for his senior year. Following the 2008 season, Michael was unanimously recognized as a first-team All-American and made the honor roll for a second time in his college journey. He graduated in the spring of 2009 with a degree in Criminal Justice and walked away with over a dozen prestigious awards and recognitions in football.

Pro Career

Even prior to his graduation, Oher was already regarded as one of the top prospects for the 2009 NFL Draft. The Baltimore Ravens selected him as the 23rd pick in the first round, 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 witness his draft day selection. On July 30, 2009, Michael signed a five-year contract worth $13.8 million with the Ravens. Starting the 2009 season as a right tackle, he transitioned to left tackle due to an injury to lineman Jared Gaither but returned to right tackle within eight weeks. Oher started every game of the 2009 season, alternating between right and left tackle. In his first postseason game in January 2010 against the New England Patriots, he played right tackle and did not allow a single sack, contributing to the Ravens’ 33-13 victory. Oher was the runner-up for the Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, receiving six votes. In February 2013, he earned his first Super Bowl ring as the Ravens triumphed over the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII.

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

Just a month later, he signed a two-year contract worth $7 million with the Carolina Panthers, citing Cam Newton as a significant influence in his decision to join the team. He ended up

Playing one of his most outstanding seasons as a professional, Oher was key in safeguarding Newton’s blind side. Despite his previous struggles in Tennessee, he began the season as the starting left tackle, with Panthers GM Dave Gettleman expressing: “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.” Oher participated in 98.4% of the team’s snaps and was penalized only three times for 25 yards.

On February 7, 2016, Oher was part of the Panthers team that competed in the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Denver Broncos with a score of 24-10.

In June 2016, a three-year contract extension worth $21.6 million, including $9.5 million guaranteed, was signed by Oher with the Panthers. However, just three games into the season, he suffered a concussion, leading to his placement on injured reserve on November 25, 2016. Unfortunately, on July 20, 2017, he was released by the Panthers following a failed physical.

Personal Life

Tiffany Roy began dating Michael Oher after they first crossed paths at the University of Mississippi. Together, they have four children: two sons and two daughters. After being together for 17 years, they got engaged in July 2021 and tied the knot on November 5, 2022, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Even with the success of the movie “The Blind Side,” Oher expressed disappointment regarding its portrayal, stating it adversely impacted his football career. In his 2011 autobiography, “I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness to ‘The Blind Side’ and Beyond,” he indicated that he was much more extroverted than what was shown on screen and noted that his football knowledge was well-established prior to the Tuohys entering his life.

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