In The big opportunityIn “The 40 Fingers,” Michael Oher (played by Quinton Aaron) goes from being a homeless teenager to a man who finds a family and makes his way in the world, all while succeeding in the world of football.

Based on Michael Lewis’ 2006 book, The Blind Side: The Evolution of a GameThe 2009 film was inspired by Oher’s true story and his relationship with the Tuohy family, but the film’s protagonist later said he felt he was not accurately portrayed.

“It’s hard to describe my reaction,” said Oher The New York Times Magazine to see the film. “To be honest, it seemed kind of weird to me, like it was a comedy about someone else. I didn’t notice it.”

The big opportunity grossed over $300 million at the box office and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture. Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for Best Actress for her portrayal of family matriarch Leigh Anne Tuohy.

The film became the subject of controversy 14 years after its release when Oher claimed in a legal filing in August 2023 that the story was largely false, alleging that Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy lied when they said they had adopted him, instead placing him under guardianship and profiting from his name and likeness in the process.

Here you can learn all about the true story of The big opportunity and what really happened behind the scenes with Michael Oher and the Tuohy family.

Who is Michael Oher?

Oher was born on May 28, 1986, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Denise Oher and Michael Jerome Williams. He was one of 12 children and was placed in various foster homes starting at age seven. His mother suffered from drug addiction and his father died when Oher was a child.

“I’m still traumatized and still dealing with things that I had to deal with as a child,” Oher told PEOPLE in March 2021 about his early childhood.

Oher met the Tuohy family while he was a student at Briarcrest Christian School in Eads, Tennessee. According to his 2023 legal documents, the former NFL player claims the Tuohys were one of the families he stayed with “occasionally” since he didn’t have a permanent home. In the summer of 2004, the Tuohys officially invited him to move in with them.

In an interview in August 2024 with The New York Times Magazinehis first since filing suit against the Tuohys, Oher explained some of the positive aspects of living with his former caregivers.

“Honestly, it was great,” he said of the family’s support, which included clothing and tutoring. “I had a bed to sleep in. I ate well. They got me a truck.”

Oher continued, “The first time I heard ‘I love you,’ Sean and Leigh Anne (Tuohy) said it. When that happens at 18, you become vulnerable. You let your guard down and then everything is taken away from you. It becomes a hurt feeling.”

Who are the Tuohys?

The Tuohy family consists of father Sean, mother Leigh Anne, daughter Collins and son Sean Jr., nicknamed SJ.

While Tim McGraw played the role of Sean in The big opportunityThe real Sean grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana, and attended the University of Mississippi, where he met his college sweetheart and future wife, Leigh Anne. The couple married in 1982.

He was drafted by the NBA’s New Jersey Nets that same year, but instead chose to “pursue his career overseas before returning to the United States to be with his father in his final days,” according to his bio on his wife’s official website. The bio goes on to say that Sean “became a successful entrepreneur, building a company that now owns and operates fast-food restaurants such as Taco Bell, KFC and Freddy’s.”

Leigh Anne was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. She attended the University of Mississippi. She was a cheerleader and a member of Kappa Delta sorority during high school, where she met Sean. On her website, Leigh Anne describes herself as a “motivational speaker and interior designer by trade.” Her work has been featured on HGTV..

With Sean she published In a jiffy: Sharing the power of joyful giving in 2010 and also founded the Making it Happen Foundation, which “raises awareness, provides support and seeks to improve the standard of living of all children struggling to survive in the invisible cracks of society,” according to Leigh Anne’s website.

Like her parents and Oher, Collins (played by Lily Collins in The big opportunity) attended the University of Mississippi, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. According to Leigh Anne’s website, Collins is co-owner of the Whimsy Cookie Company and sits on the board of her parents’ foundation.

She married Cannon Smith, the brother of one of the producers of The big opportunityin 2016. Oher was present on that special day where he walked Leigh Anne to the altar with SJ

Sean Jr., played by Jae Head, earned his bachelor’s degree in communications with a specialization in journalism and marketing from Loyola University Maryland, where he also excelled as a player on the basketball team.

He then earned a master’s degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he played on the football team. SJ also received a doctorate from Liberty University’s business school.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he is currently the executive director at The Kingdom NIL and also sits on the board of his family’s foundation.

Is The big opportunity a true story?

The big opportunity offers viewers a dramatized version of Oher’s life. Two aspects of the film that Oher said do not accurately reflect his true experiences are his soccer talent and his education.

“I felt like I was being portrayed as stupid, rather than as a child who had never received consistent academic instruction and ended up thriving when he did,” he wrote in his 2011 book I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness to The Blind Side and Beyond.

Oher also shared that his “main problem with the film” was that he was portrayed as having no prior knowledge of football before spending time with the Tuohy family. “Quinton Aaron played the role brilliantly, but I couldn’t understand why the director wanted to portray me as someone who had to be taught the game of football,” Oher said.

He added: “Whether it was SJ pushing ketchup bottles around or Leigh Anne explaining to me what blocking was all about, I would watch those scenes and think, ‘No, that’s not me at all! I’ve studied the game – really studied it – since I was a kid!’ That was my biggest problem with the movie.”

In his interview in August 2024 with The New York Times MagazineOher talked about how the film impacted his life after its release.

“People at the NFL wondered if I could read a playbook,” he said. “I started seeing things that made me stupid. I’m stupid. Every article about me mentioned ‘The Blind Side’ like it was part of my name.”

Oher added, “This is my heartbreaking pain… When I got there, I was defined.”

Where is Michael Oher now?

After graduating from Briarcrest Christian School in 2005, he played football at the University of Mississippi, Leigh Anne and Sean’s alma mater, and graduated from Ole Miss with a degree in criminal justice in 2009.

Oher was selected 23rd overall by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. His rookie year coincided with the release of The big opportunitywhich premiered in November 2009. Oher concluded five seasons with the Ravens as Super Bowl champions when he and his team defeated the San Francisco 49ers in February 2013.

In March 2014, the athlete signed a four-year contract with the Tennessee Titans, but was placed on the injured list in December and released in February 2015. In March 2015, he signed with the Carolina Panthers and officially ended his football career in 2017.

As for his life off the field, I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness to The Blind Side and Beyondthat to a New York Times Bestseller, in 2011. His second book, If your back is against the wallwas released in August 2023.

Oher and Tiffany Roy, his college sweetheart, got married in November 2022 after 17 years together. The couple’s four children, sons Kobi and MJ and daughters Kierstin and Naivi, were present at the wedding. The Tuohy family was not present at the wedding.

What legal claims has Michael Oher made against the Tuohy family?

On August 14, 2023, Oher filed a motion to remove the Tuohys’ conservatorship, which he claimed allowed Leigh Anne and Sean to make millions off his name. In the motion, Oher claimed that when he thought he would be adopted at age 18, the Tuohy family had actually filed documents to take over his conservatorship.

“Michael trusted the Tuohys and signed where they had him sign,” the legal filing, obtained by PEOPLE, states. “However, what he did sign, and what Michael did not know until February 2023, were not adoption papers or the equivalent of adoption papers.”

Oher also claimed in the petition that the Tuohys, including Collins and SJ, received $225,000 for The big opportunity plus 2.5% of the film’s revenue, so he was not involved in the deal.

In her 2010 book In a jiffy: Sharing the power of joyful givingAccording to ESPN, the Tuohys claimed the winnings were “split among five people.”

Oher released a statement a day after the filing, saying, “This is a difficult situation for my family and me. I would ask everyone to respect our privacy at this time. For now, I will let the lawsuit speak for itself and have no further comment.”

The former NFL player’s request to terminate his conservatorship was immediately granted, but court documents filed by the Tuohys in November say Oher received $138,000 in payments from the family over a 16-year period, with the final payment of $8,480.10 due in April 2023.

In December of that year, the couple posted screenshots of Oher in a lawsuit in which he allegedly demanded more than $10 million. Oher did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment and the case is ongoing.

In August 2024, Oher gave his first interview since his filing in 2023 and spoke about the impact of being portrayed in The big opportunity“I want to be the person I was before The big opportunitypersonality-wise,” he said. “I’m still working on that.”