Photo:Wesley Hitt/Getty; Paul Spinelli/AP
Wesley Hitt/Getty; Paul Spinelli/AP
Michael Oher’s former coach Hugh Freeze has weighed in on the legal dispute between the former NFL star andSean and Leigh Anne Tuohy.
On Monday, Oher, 37, filed a petition claiming that the Tuohy family did not legally adopt him but tricked him into making them his conservators before earning millions from his falsified life story, which was depicted in the filmThe Blind Side.
Freeze, 53, coached Oher while he was a student at Memphis' Briarcest Christian School and during his time with the Ole Miss Rebels. Freeze is also alongtime friend of Sean’s, who was a booster for Ole Miss.
According toThe Athletic, the football coach called the conflict “sad” on Thursday.
Freeze, who currently serves as the head coach at Auburn University, said, “I think it’s sad. I certainly don’t claim to understand all the ins and outs of adoption, conservatory, all of that. I know what I witnessed. I witnessed a family that totally took in a young man and I think without that, there is no story,” the outlet reported.
The head coach continued, “I know this: If Michael called Sean right now and said let’s work this thing out, Sean and Leigh Anne would be there in a hurry to hug his neck and tell him he’s loved," per The Athletic’s report.
“I hope he feels that. Until you walk in people’s shoes, I don’t claim to have all the answers to anything, but I think whatever happens will happen. The facts will come out."
Matthew Sharpe/Getty
Freeze explained that he has “love” for “both sides” in the legal drama, referring to both Oher and the Tuohys.
In the petition filed Monday, Oher alleges they misled him into signing paperwork that placed him in a conservatorship at 18 years old, while telling him it was the same as adoption. The 2004 conservatorship filing stated that he “shall not be allowed to enter into any contracts or bind himself without the direct approval of his conservators," according to Oher’s filing.
Sean Tuohy Instagram
Oher also alleged in his petition that the Tuohys — including their two birth children, Collins Tuohy and Sean Tuohy Jr. — were paid $225,000 forThe Blind Sideplus 2.5% of the film’s proceeds and did not include him.
Oher said in a statement shared with PEOPLE, “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.”
Scott Cunningham/Getty
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Freeze previously told theNew York Postthat he has mixed thoughts on his portrayal in the film.
“I sure hope I’m not as goofy as this guy — that was my reaction,” Freeze told the publication. “I don’t think I needed so much guidance in coaching, but at the end of the day the movie is about a young man who receives a chance and a family who puts their faith into action. It changed a person’s trajectory in life. At the end of the day, that’s what I want my coaching to be about.”
Jonathan Bachman/Getty
In 2017, the Auburn head coach endured a public controversy of his own afterUSA Todaydiscovered Freeze was soliciting female escorts using an Ole Miss University phone. According to the outlet, he announced his resignation shortly after the allegation was made public.
After the university conducted an internal investigation, Freeze was found to have exhibited “a pattern of misconduct” during his time at Ole Miss, per USA Today.
source: people.com
