Michael Oher says 'The Blind Side' has had negative effect on career


Ole Miss Sports
Riley Blevins, The Clarion-Ledger 5:23 p.m. CDT June 17, 2015

OXFORD ? "The Blind Side" turned the Tuohy family and Michael Oher into household names, but the latter apparently isn't a big fan of movie.

The former Ole Miss All-American tackle told ESPN.com that he believes the movie, which profiles his journey from a homeless teen to an eventual first-round draft pick after his college days in Oxford, has had a negative effect on his NFL career.

"I'm not trying to prove anything,'' Oher told ESPN's David Newton. "People look at me, and they take things away from me because of a movie. They don't really see the skills and the kind of player I am. That's why I get downgraded so much, because of something off the field.

"This stuff, calling me a bust, people saying if I can play or not ... that has nothing to do with football. It's something else off the field. That's why I don't like that movie.''

Oher reportedly brought up the movie on Wednesday when a reporter asked if a minicamp spat between him and Carolina Panthers teammate Kony Ealy showed that Oher feels he has a lot to prove after a pair of rough seasons.

Before signing a two-year deal with the Panthers this offseason, Oher was released by the Tennessee Titans after inking a five-year, $20 million contract.

"That's taken away from my football,'' Oher added. "That's why people criticize me. That's why people look at me every single play.''