(MOORESVILLE, N.C.) — A massive explosion leveled a multimillion-dollar home owned by Tennessee Titans cornerback Caleb Farley in Mooresville, North Carolina, early Tuesday.
One person was killed and another person suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the blast, according to Iredell County Emergency Management Director Kent Greene.
Farley, 24, was seen speaking to authorities at the scene after the explosion. He was not home at the time of the explosion, according to Greene.
The victim was identified as 61-year-old Robert Farley.
The home, valued at just over $2 million, according to property records, was completely leveled in the explosion. An investigation into what caused the explosion is still ongoing, authorities said.
Farley was a first-round pick by the Titans out of Virginia Tech in 2021, though he’s played sparingly due to injuries. He played in just three games as a rookie and then nine games last season.
He grew up in Maiden, North Carolina, about 25 miles east of Mooresville, and was a star quarterback at Maiden High School.
ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Toronto 10, Cincinnati 3
Chi Cubs 4, Kansas City 3
Minnesota 2, Pittsburgh 0
Milwaukee 6, Texas 2
Chi White Sox 10, Colorado 5
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit 4, Cleveland 1
Seattle 7, Houston 6
Boston 6, NY Yankees 5
Baltimore 12, Oakland 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Francisco 4, Atlanta 3
St. Louis 7, NY Mets 3
Washington 4 Philadelphia 3
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
New Orleans 22, LA Chargers 17
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Dallas 97, Washington 84
Connecticut 79, Chicago 73
Indiana 83, Phoenix 73
Seattle 88, Minnesota 74
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Columbus 3, Cincinnati 0
Charlotte FC 0, Miami 0
New York 1, D.C. United 0
Minnesota 2, New York City FC 0
FC Dallas 0, Philadelphia 0
CF Montreal 3, Toronto FC 2
Orlando City 3, Chicago 1
Houston 5, Portland 0
New England 0, Nashville 0
Saint Louis City SC 6, Austin FC 3
Real Salt Lake 0, LA Galaxy 0 (Tie)
Colorado 0, Los Angeles FC 0 (Tie)
Atlanta 2, Seattle 0
San Jose 1, Vancouver 0
(NEW YORK) — “The Blind Side,” the critically acclaimed movie released in 2009, chronicled the inspirational story of now-retired NFL offensive lineman Michael Oher, who overcame homelessness as a child and went on to become a top draft pick after a supportive white couple took him under their care.
Now, the film is back in the headlines after Oher filed a court petition against that couple, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, alleging they made millions off a dishonest portrayal of Oher’s story while cutting him out of earnings from the Oscar-nominated film. Oher claims the Tuohys never adopted him but instead tricked him into signing a document agreeing to a conservatorship that gave them the authority to make business deals in his name.
In a lengthy rebuttal made public Tuesday, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy’s attorney Martin Singer called Oher’s allegations against his clients “outlandish” and “hurtful and absurd” and likened the filing to a “shakedown.”
“In reality, the Tuohys opened their home to Mr. Oher, offered him structure, support and, most of all, unconditional love. They have consistently treated him like a son and one of their three children. His response was to threaten them, including saying that he would plant a negative story about them in the press unless they paid him $15 million,” Singer’s statement continued.
Singer also claims the Tuohys have given Oher an “equal cut of every penny received” from the film.
In response to Singer’s claims, an attorney for Oher said in a statement, “We try cases in the courtroom based on the facts. We have confidence in our judicial system and in our client Michael Oher. We believe that justice will be served in the courtroom, and we hope to get there quickly.”
Senior ESPN writer Michael Fletcher spoke to ABC News’ podcast START HERE about the details of the court petition and its potential impact on the film’s legacy.
BRAD MIELKE: Michael, this is like a foundational story for anyone who knows football. What’s happened here?
MICHAEL FLETCHER: Michael Oher has come forward to say that the supposed adoption never occurred, that the family, the Tuohys, who took him in as a homeless high school student, told him that they were adopting him, but did not, instead had him sign over kind of his rights to sort of make business deals and use that leverage, that power, that authority to cut a deal with the movie studio that cut Michael Oher out of any profits.
The [court petition] that he filed alleges that the Tuohys made millions while he got absolutely nothing. And it’s just absolutely mind blowing, because it totally wipes away the narrative we all thought we understood.
MIELKE: And just so I’m clear, what is the difference between being adopted? Like, everyone who’s using the word adopted. He was adopted by this family. And now he’s saying, “No, I was actually, I was under a conservatorship.” I mean, what is the difference there?
FLETCHER: There’s a huge difference. If you’re adopted, you become a family member. And at the time, Michael was a few months over 18 years old when these papers were signed, but he would have been a sibling to his brother and sister, the Touhys’, you know, natural born children. And more crucially, in this case, he would have retained his rights to negotiate contracts for himself. His parents would not have had that power.
Conservatorships, typically, in adults are put in place for people who don’t have the ability to take care of themselves, to make decisions for themselves. They handle their own affairs. And no one alleges that Michael Oher, as steeped in poverty as he was, lacked that ability.
MIELKE: Did he explain why this is happening now? Because, like, excuse me. You don’t know if your family actually adopted you? You’re unclear how much money you made from this huge blockbuster film. I mean, what has changed that sort of made him go, ‘Oh, wait, this is not the story that you guys have all heard?’
FLETCHER: Well, it’s so interesting. You know, I asked his lawyer that question, because that’s the question that everybody kind of wants to know the answer to. And the answer I’m given is that, all along, when the movie became kind of this maybe surprise blockbuster, Michael Oher was curious. He was like, “Well, you know, is anybody getting money for this?” And he was always deflected within the family, basically told, “No, we’re not getting much money.”
As it turns out, the Tuohys wrote in their book back in 2010 that there was some money paid, but they also said that they had cut Michael Oher in on that money, and they minimized the amounts, that it was a flat fee, they had no share of the profits and that sort of thing.
So Michael had this in back of his mind, but at the same time, he’s launching his NFL career, so he didn’t pursue it fully. Well at some point he hired a lawyer, and they were able to dig out the details – so his lawyer says – the details of the contract that the family had with the movie company. And that was the aha moment – like hold on, they’ve been telling me that they haven’t gotten any money, but it says here in black and white that they did. They get 2.5% of the profits, and this was a huge movie. You know, it grossed over $300 million at the box office.
So Michael’s career ends in 2016, and he still has this question that he’s pursuing. As his lawyer tells the story, it wasn’t until February of this year that they unearthed the conservatorship document that said, ‘Hey, you’re not an adopted child after all, Michael Oher, you are under a conservatorship.’ And that’s a whole different deal. And that’s when he was most upset and decided to file suit.
MIELKE: And for awhile people were wondering what the response from the Tuohys would be. It now appears to be outright skepticism. We’re hearing from SJ, the [Tuohys’] son, that’s on a Barstool Sports podcast.
SJ Tuohy on podcast: “If he says he learned in February, I find that hard to believe…I was curious today, randomly, to go back to look at our family group text and see what things have been said, and there were things [Oher said] back in 2020, 2021 that were like “You know, if you guys give me this much, then I won’t go public with things.”
MIELKE: So that’s the son. The parents have retained the well-known lawyer Marty Singer. He was was once called Hollywood’s bulldog.” He put out a statement yesterday, saying his family was always very clear about the conservatorship arrangement, so that they could assist Oher with college admissions, with health insurance and stuff. For the movie profits, he says, the family always insisted that Oher get an equal share, and that he’s tried this “shakedown” other times with other lawyers before. Oher says he’ll let the [court petition] speak for itself.
And this brings me to my last question, Michael: If these allegations are true, does this reframe how we think of this whole story and what his story meant to the public over these last 10 to 15 years?
FLETCHER: No absolutely, and this is another element here. Michael Oher all along disliked the movie. You know, he felt like he was portrayed as unintelligent, as slow, as someone who didn’t have agency, didn’t have pluck, didn’t have internal drive.
And all these things, of course, played a part in his success – you know, not only being an NFL player, but being a college graduate, a guy who came from the circumstances he came from to, sort of, make it that far. So that’s been one thing.
And he was willing to kind of live that myth, if you will, thinking, “OK, you know, the movie’s an inspirational thing. It’s a movie, after all. And, you know, I can live with that.” But he always believed that the Tuohys loved him and that their help for him was genuine. And now that’s gone away. So that totally changes, kind of, how I think we all should see the story, if this is indeed true.
MIELKE: You think about when this movie was released. In 2009, people were talking about a post-racial America. You had this movie that was criticized for being kind of this white savior movie. And now you wonder if we look at that differently now with or without Michael Oher’s accusations out there.
(NEW YORK ) — Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, the couple who took in former NFL star Michael Oher, whose inspiring life story was the subject of the 2009 film The Blind Side, are breaking their silence over Oher’s allegations that they have been profiting off him for years.
According to a statement released by the Tuohy’s family attorney Martin Singer, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy say they are “heartbroken over these events” and called Oher’s claims “outlandish.”
“Anyone with a modicum of common sense can see that the outlandish claims made by Michael Oher about the Tuohy family are hurtful and absurd,” the statement says. “The idea that the Tuohys have ever sought to profit off Mr. Oher is not only offensive, it is transparently ridiculous. Through hard work and good fortune, Sean and Leigh Anne have made an extraordinary amount of money in the restaurant business. The notion that a couple worth hundreds of millions of dollars would connive to withhold a few thousand dollars in profit participation payments from anyone – let alone from someone they loved as a son – defies belief.”
“In reality, the Tuohys opened their home to Mr. Oher, offered him structure, support and, most of all, unconditional love,” the statement continued. “They have consistently treated him like a son and one of their three children. His response was to threaten them, including saying that he would plant a negative story about them in the press unless they paid him $15 million.”
Oher filed a 14-page petition in the probate court of Shelby County, Tennessee, on Aug. 14, in which he alleges that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy tricked him into signing a Petition for Appointment of Conservators, prepared by Debra Branan, a close friend of the Tuohys, soon after he turned 18 in 2004.
Oher’s petition claims that the Tuohys told him that “because he was over the age of eighteen, that the legal action to adopt Michael would have to be called a ‘conservatorship’ but it was, for all intents and purposes, an adoption.” It adds that Oher “did not understand that if the Conservatorship was granted, he was signing away his right to contract for himself.”
In his petition, Oher alleges that the Tuohys have profited off the story of Oher’s adoption, which saw them help him finish high school, get into the University of Mississippi, and later get drafted into the NFL, first playing for the Baltimore Ravens and later for the Tennessee Titans and the Carolina Panthers.
“The lie of Michael’s adoption is one upon which Co-Conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their Ward, the undersigned Michael Oher,” the legal filing reads. “Michael Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the Conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys.”
Oher’s petition alleges that the four members of the Tuohy family — including the couple’s two biological children, Sean Tuohy Jr. and Collins Tuohy — received “$225,000.00 plus 2.5% of all future ‘Defined Net Proceeds'” when negotiating for the film The Blind Side, which is based on the 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game by Michael Lewis, a childhood friend of Sean Tuohy.
The Blind Side, which starred Quinton Aaron as Oher, was nominated for best picture at the 2010 Academy Awards and won Sandra Bullock the best actress trophy. The film accrued more than $300 million at the worldwide box office, according to The Numbers, but Oher claims in his petition that he received “nothing for his rights to a … story that would not have existed without him.”
In response to Oher’s petition, the Tuohy’s statement claims that when the Tuohys and Oher were approached about turning Lewis’ book into a film, the Tuohys “insisted that any money received be divided equally.”
“Over the years, the Tuohys have given Mr. Oher an equal cut of every penny received from The Blind Side,” the statement said. “Even recently, when Mr. Oher started to threaten them about what he would do unless they paid him an eight-figure windfall, and, as part of that shakedown effort refused to cash the small profit checks from the Tuohys, they still deposited Mr. Oher’s equal share into a trust account they set up for his son.”
“Additionally, in spite of the false allegation in the lawsuit, the Tuohys have always been upfront about how a conservatorship (from which not one penny was received) was established to assist with Mr. Oher’s needs, ranging from getting him health insurance and obtaining a driver’s license to helping with college admissions,” the statement continued. “Should Mr. Oher wish to terminate the conservatorship, either now or at anytime in the future, the Tuohys will never oppose it in any way.”
Still, Oher’s petition alleges the Tuohys, in acting as Oher’s co-conservators, “have committed a breach of their fiduciary duty so gross and appalling that they should be sanctioned by this court by disgorgement of all sums of money received from this motion picture, plus interest from the date of receipt of any payment, and also required to pay appropriate punitive damages to their ward, Michael Oher, as determined by this court.”
“Since at least August 2004, Conservators have allowed Michael, specifically, and the public, generally, to believe that Conservators adopted Michael and have used that untruth to gain financial advantages for themselves and the foundations which they own or which they exercise or control,” the petition reads. “All monies made in said manner should in all conscience and equity be disgorged and paid over to the said ward, Michael Oher.”
The petition seeks to have the conservatorship terminated for the alleged failure of Oher’s conservators to meet their legal obligations and adds, “This Conservatorship is unnecessary as Michael Oher is capable of handling his own affairs.”
“Petitioner Michael Oher is suffering continuing damages due to the ongoing misuse of his name, image and likeness by the Co-Conservators herein, especially in conjunction with the continuing false claims that they adopted Petitioner at any time,” the petition reads, adding that Oher is “entitled to an injunction prohibiting Conservators from using his name, image, and likeness.”
Oher, in his petition, is asking the Tuohys for “accounting for all sums of money belonging to their said ward, Michael Oher, and to pay over such sums received by them, or either of them, as aforesaid, which should have been paid over to the said ward, Michael Oher, plus interest from the time of receipt of such sums of money.”
Additionally, Oher is asking for Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy to pay him compensatory and punitive damages and to pay all costs and attorney fees Oher incurs during the process “for their misconduct.”
“I am disheartened by the revelation shared in the lawsuit today,” Oher said in a statement obtained by ABC News. “This is a difficult situation for my family and me. I want to ask everyone to please respect our privacy at this time. For now, I will let the lawsuit speak for itself and will offer no further comment.”
Despite the petition, the Tuohy’s ended their statement by saying that they “will always care deeply for Mr. Oher.”
“They desperately hope that he comes to regret his recent decisions, makes different choices in the future and that they someday can be reconciled with him,” the statement said. “In the meantime, however, they will not hesitate to defend their good names, stand up to this shakedown and defeat this offensive lawsuit.”
In response to the Tuohy’s statement, Barrett issued a response to the family that said, “we have confidence in our judicial system and in our client Michael Oher.”
“We try cases in the courtroom based on facts,” the statement said. “We believe that justice will be served in the courtroom, and we hope to get there quickly.”
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Cleveland 3, Cincinnati 0
Houston 6, Miami 5
Toronto 2, Philadelphia 1
Atlanta 5, NY Yankees 0
Boston 5, Washington 4
St. Louis 6, Oakland 2
Chi White Sox 5, Chi Cubs 3
San Francisco 7, Tampa Bay 0
San Diego 10, Baltimore 3
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Minnesota 5, Detroit 3
Texas 7, LA Angels 3
Seattle 10, Kansas City 8
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Pittsburgh 7, NY Mets 4
Arizona 8, Colorado 5
LA Dodgers 6, Milwaukee 2
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
New York 82, Las Vegas 63
(NEW YORK ) — Michael Oher, a former NFL star whose inspiring life story was the subject of the 2009 film “The Blind Side,” is alleging that the family who supposedly adopted him never did so and has been profiting off him for years.
Oher filed a 14-page petition in the probate court of Shelby County, Tennessee, on Aug. 14 in which he alleges that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, the white family that took him when he was a struggling teen, tricked him into signing a Petition for Appointment of Conservators, prepared by Debra Branan, a close friend of the Tuohys, soon after he turned 18 in 2004.
Oher’s petition claims that the Tuohys told him that “because he was over the age of eighteen, that the legal action to adopt Michael would have to be called a ‘conservatorship’ but it was, for all intents and purposes, an adoption.” It adds that Oher “did not understand that if the Conservatorship was granted, he was signing away his right to contract for himself.”
In his petition, Oher, who is Black, alleges that the Tuohys have profited off the story of Oher’s adoption, which saw them help him finish high school, get into the University of Mississippi, and later get drafted into the NFL, first playing for the Baltimore Ravens and later for the Tennessee Titans and the Carolina Panthers.
“The lie of Michael’s adoption is one upon which Co-Conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their Ward, the undersigned Michael Oher,” the legal filing reads. “Michael Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the Conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys.”
Oher’s petition alleges that the four members of the Oher family — including the couple’s two biological children, Sean Tuohy Jr. and Collins Tuohy — received “$225,000.00 plus 2.5% of all future ‘Defined Net Proceeds'” when negotiating for the film “The Blind Side,” which is based on the 2006 book “The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game” by Michael Lewis, a childhood friend of Sean Tuohy.
“The Blind Side,” which starred Quinton Aaron as Oher, was nominated for best picture at the 2010 Academy Awards and won Sandra Bullock the best actress trophy. The film accrued more than $300 million at the worldwide box office, according to The Numbers, but Oher claims in his petition that he received “nothing for his rights to a … story that would not have existed without him.”
Oher’s petition alleges the Tuohys, in acting as Oher’s co-conservators, “have committed a breach of their fiduciary duty so gross and appalling that they should be sanctioned by this court by disgorgement of all sums of money received from this motion picture, plus interest from the date of receipt of any payment, and also required to pay appropriate punitive damages to their ward, Michael Oher, as determined by this court.”
“Since at least August 2004, Conservators have allowed Michael, specifically, and the public, generally, to believe that Conservators adopted Michael and have used that untruth to gain financial advantages for themselves and the foundations which they own or which they exercise or control,” the petition reads. “All monies made in said manner should in all conscience and equity be disgorged and paid over to the said ward, Michael Oher.”
The petition seeks to have the conservatorship terminated for the alleged failure of Oher’s conservators to meet their legal obligations and adds, “This Conservatorship is unnecessary as Michael Oher is capable of handling his own affairs.”
“Petitioner Michael Oher is suffering continuing damages due to the ongoing misuse of his name, image and likeness by the Co-Conservators herein, especially in conjunction with the continuing false claims that they adopted Petitioner at any time,” the petition reads, adding that Oher is “entitled to an injunction prohibiting Conservators from using his name, image, and likeness.”
Oher, in his petition, is asking the Tuohys for “accounting for all sums of money belonging to their said ward, Michael Oher, and to pay over such sums received by them, or either of them, as aforesaid, which should have been paid over to the said ward, Michael Oher, plus interest from the time of receipt of such sums of money.”
Additionally, Oher is asking for Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy to pay him compensatory and punitive damages and to pay all costs and attorney fees Oher incurs during the process “for their misconduct.”
“I am disheartened by the revelation shared in the lawsuit today,” Oher said in a statement obtained by ABC News. “This is a difficult situation for my family and me. I want to ask everyone to please respect our privacy at this time. For now, I will let the lawsuit speak for itself and will offer no further comment.”
ABC News has reached out to Branan and multiple representatives listed for Leigh Anne Tuohy for comment.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Minnesota 3, Philadelphia 0
Toronto 11, Chi Cubs 4
Washington 8, Oakland 7
Miami 8, NY Yankees 7
Milwaukee 7, Chi White Sox 3
San Francisco 3, Texas 2
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Boston 6, Detroit 3
Cleveland 9, Tampa Bay 2
LA Angels 2, Houston 1
Baltimore 5, Seattle 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Pittsburgh 4, Cincinnati 2
LA Dodgers 8, Colorado 3
Arizona 5, San Diego 4
Cincinnati 6, Pittsburgh 5
NY Mets 7, Atlanta 6
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
New Orleans 26, Kansas City 24
Las Vegas 34, San Francisco 7
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Washington 83, Chicago 76
New York 100, Indiana 89
Seattle 81, Phoenix 71
Las Vegas 86, Atlanta 65
