Michael Lewis, the author of the best-selling book "The Blind Side," has responded to claims from former NFL player Michael Oher that the wealthy family who took Oher in had hoarded profits from the award-winning film adaptation of the book.
Speaking to The Washington Post, Lewis stated that despite the movie's popularity, none of those connected to the book received millions of dollars from the film.
"Everybody should be mad at the Hollywood studio system," Lewis said. "Michael Oher should join the writers' strike. It's outrageous how Hollywood accounting works, but the money is not in the Tuohys' pockets."
Oher, who is Black, grew up poor in Memphis, Tennessee. He was welcomed into the home of Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, a wealthy white couple.
Lewis, known for books like "Moneyball," learned about the story from Sean Tuohy, his childhood friend. In 2006, he wrote a book about Oher's rise in football.
In a recent legal document, Oher claimed that the Tuohy family used a conservatorship to retain money from the movie. The court paper stated that the Tuohys and their two biological children received $225,000 each, along with 2.5 percent of the movie's net earnings, through this arrangement.
The film was a success, raking in over $300 million in box office revenue, as outlined in Oher's lawsuit.
Lewis explained that Twentieth Century Fox, as it was known then, offered $250,000 for the movie rights to "The Blind Side," which he divided equally with the Tuohy family. The Tuohys, including Oher, shared their portion equally.
Lewis noted that after accounting for taxes and agent fees, his half amounted to approximately $70,000.
But Fox didn't end up creating the movie. Instead, Alcon, a smaller production company supported by Sean Tuohy's neighbor, FedEx CEO Fred Smith, took the lead.
Instead of giving hefty paychecks to the actors, they were given a portion of the earnings, according to Lewis. His own arrangement also entitled him to a portion of the movie's net earnings. Eventually, Warner Bros. handled the movie's distribution.
Lewis said that the movie earned about $500 million, but the ownership portion of it didn't turn out to be as profitable as it might seem.
He admitted that after the movie's success, he reached out to his own agents at Creative Artists Agency multiple times to inquire about his share of the earnings.
In the end, Lewis said that, after accounting for agent fees and taxes, both he and the Tuohy family got about $350,000 each from the movie's earnings. Lewis added that the Tuohys intended to divide the earnings among the family, including Oher.
However, according to Lewis, Oher started refusing his royalty checks. Lewis believed that the Tuohy family had likely put Oher's portion into a trust fund for his son.
Oher's attorneys did not reply to the Post's request for comment.