Michael Oher Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What Is Michael Oher’s Net Worth and Salary?

Michael Oher, an American football offensive tackle, has amassed a net worth of $12 million. Once a homeless teenager, he was welcomed into a prosperous family and went on to make a name for himself as a notable offensive tackle in both college football and the NFL. He was picked by the Baltimore Ravens in the initial round of the 2009 NFL Draft, contributing to the team’s victory in Super Bowl XLVII during his rookie year. After spending four seasons with the Ravens, he moved to the Tennessee Titans in 2014, where he played for two seasons, before joining the Carolina Panthers in 2017. Oher concluded his NFL career in the same year.

As many might know, Michael Oher’s extraordinary personal journey was adapted into the acclaimed 2009 film “The Blind Side,” featuring Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw portraying his adoptive parents, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy. Quinton Aaron took on the role of Michael.

Contracts, Salary, and Career Earnings

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

Upon his league debut, he signed a $13.495 million contract with the Ravens over five years, which included $6.88 million guaranteed. In his rookie year, he earned $310,000 and received a signing bonus of $942,000.

Before the 2014 season, Michael inked a 4-year, $20 million agreement with the Tennessee Titans, which came with a signing bonus of $4 million and $9.35 million guaranteed. After his release from the Titans in February 2015, he signed a 2-year, $7 million contract with the Carolina Panthers, which included a $2.5 million signing bonus and $2.5 million guaranteed.

His last NFL contract was a 3-year, $21.6 million agreement with the Panthers, signed in 2016, featuring a $4 million signing bonus and $9.5 million guaranteed. However, in July 2017, he was released by the Panthers after not passing a physical examination.

2023 Complaint Against the Tuohy Family

On August 14, 2023, news broke that Michael had submitted a striking petition to a Tennessee court, asserting that the primary narrative of “The Blind Side” was fabricated for the financial gain of the Tuohy family at his expense. This petition sought to terminate Sean and Leigh Anne’s conservatorship, request a fair share of the film’s profits, as well as compensatory and punitive damages, and to prevent the couple from using his name in any future media.

Among other serious accusations, Michael’s petition alleged that he was never formally adopted by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, but rather placed under a conservatorship. This distinction is significant because, under conservatorship, he did not share a familial bond with the Tuohy family, allowing them to negotiate deals in his name allegedly without compensating him for any royalties derived from the film and related media including his likeness and name. The petition stated that the Tuohys secured a deal in which both parents and their children, Sean Jr. and Collins, received $225,000 plus 2.5% of “defined net proceeds” made from “The Blind Side,” which included revenue from box office sales, DVD sales, and streaming.

The film “The Blind Side” earned $300 million at the box office with a production budget of $30 million. Based on typical film profit calculations, it’s reasonable to estimate there were at least $150 million in net proceeds. If accurate, each of the four Tuohys may have received $225,000 IN ADDITION TO $3.75 million in royalties from just the box office, not accounting for DVD and streaming income.

Michael’s petition claimed that he did not receive any of the profits while the Tuohy family earned millions. Moreover, Oher alleged that the family had him sign a contract back in 2007.that granted 20th Century Fox the life rights to his narrative “without any payment whatsoever.“

This stands in contrast to what Leigh Anne asserted in her 2010 book “In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving.” In that publication, Leigh Anne stated they distributed the movie’s profits “five ways.” Nevertheless, Michael’s petition contends that he never saw any earnings from the film.

“The Blind Side” Royalties

Following his allegations, Alcon, the studio behind “The Blind Side,” issued a statement detailing the payments made to Oher and the Tuohy family. From the statement:

“Alcon has disbursed approximately $767,000 to the talent agency representing the Tuohy family and Michael Oher.”… It seems the agency retained a 10% commission prior to forwarding the royalties… “We expect that Michael Oher and the Tuohy family will realize further profits as viewers continue to appreciate this true story in the coming years.”

A quick calculation shows that after the 10% fee taken by the talent agency, $690,000 remained to be divided among the four Tuohy family members and Michael Oher. This results in $138,000 each, before taxes.

Early Life

Michael Oher entered the world on May 28, 1986, in Memphis, Tennessee. He is the offspring of Denise Oher, an alcoholic and crack cocaine user, and Michael Jerome Williams, who was often incarcerated. Because of his environment, Michael lacked attention and discipline during his early years. He repeated the first and second grades and attended eleven schools in his first nine years of education. At the age of seven, he entered foster care and transitioned between various foster homes and bouts of homelessness. His biological father, a former inmate of Denise Oher’s brother, was fatally stabbed in prison when Michael was a senior. When he turned 16, Sean Tuohy and Leigh Anne Tuohy eventually took him in, becoming his legal guardians by the age of 17. They arranged for a tutor to assist Michael with his studies for 20 hours each week.

High School

During his freshman year at a public high school in Memphis, Oher began his football journey. By his junior year, his football skills noticeably improved. In 2003, Michael was honored as the Division II Lineman of the Year and named to the First Team Tennessee All-State. He also earned two letters in both track and basketball. As he commenced his senior year, Oher secured the position of starting left tackle for the varsity football team. He notably became a state runner-up in discus as a senior. Initially, Oher’s low grades hindered his admission into an NCAA program, but he succeeded in raising his GPA from 0.76 to 2.52 to qualify for a Division 1 school. He accomplished this by enrolling in online courses at Brigham Young University and replacing earlier Ds and Fs with As until his graduating GPA exceeded the required minimum. Consequently, Michael rapidly emerged as a top football prospect in Tennessee, resulting in numerous scholarship offers.receiving offers from several Division 1 schools. Ultimately, he opted to join the Ole Miss Rebels at the University of Mississippi, despite having scholarship offers from Alabama, Auburn, LSU, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

College Career

During his inaugural season with the Ole Miss Rebels, Oher started ten games as a guard and quickly earned recognition as a first-team freshman All-American. Transitioning to left tackle for the 2006 season, he garnered a spot on multiple preseason All-Conference and All-American teams. After his sophomore year, he was named a second-team offensive lineman in the Southeastern Conference and earned first-team honors after his junior year. Academically, Oher excelled at Ole Miss, showing a remarkable IQ score improvement of 30 points from his childhood assessment to his college evaluation. He achieved honor roll status in his sophomore year. In January 2008, he declared his intention to enter the 2008 NFL draft but withdrew just two days later to return for his senior year. Following the 2008 season, he was unanimously recognized as a first-team All-American and made the honor roll for the second time in his college career, graduating in the spring of 2009 with a degree in Criminal Justice. He concluded his college football journey with an impressive array of awards and honors.

Pro Career

Before completing his college education, Oher was already regarded as a top prospect for the 2009 NFL Draft. The Baltimore Ravens selected him with the 23rd pick in the first round, a pick acquired 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. On July 30, 2009, Michael signed a five-year deal worth $13.8 million with the Ravens. He began the 2009 season at right tackle but was subsequently shifted to left tackle due to an injury to lineman Jared Gaither, and then returned to right tackle after eight weeks. Starting every game that season, he alternated between right and left tackle. In his first post-season appearance in January 2010 against the New England Patriots, he played right tackle and did not yield a single sack, contributing to the Ravens’ 33-13 victory. Michael finished second in the voting for the Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, receiving six votes. In February 2013, he earned his first Super Bowl ring when the Ravens won against the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII.

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

One month later, he signed a two-year contract worth $7 million with the Carolina Panthers, crediting Cam Newton as a significant influence in his decision to join the team. He ultimately ended up…playing one of his best seasons as a professional while safeguarding Newton’s blindside. Despite previous challenges in Tennessee, he entered the season as the starting left tackle, with Panthers GM Dave Gettleman declaring: “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 plays and was penalized only three times for 25 yards.

On February 7, 2016, Oher was a member 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. Unfortunately, just three games into the season, he suffered a concussion and was placed on injured reserve on November 25, 2016. Sadly, the Panthers released him on July 20, 2017, following a failed physical.

Personal Life

Tiffany Roy began dating Michael Oher after they first crossed paths at the University of Mississippi. The couple shares four children: two daughters and two sons. They became engaged in July 2021 and wed on November 5, 2022, in Nashville, Tennessee, after 17 years of being together.

Although “The Blind Side” film achieved success, Oher expressed disappointment, stating that it adversely impacted his football career. In his 2011 autobiography, “I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness to ‘The Blind Side’ and Beyond,” Michael mentioned that he was far more extroverted than how he was depicted in the film and emphasized that his football knowledge was well-established before the Tuohys entered his life.

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