Veteran Publicist Breaks Down The Tuohy's Press Statement About Michael Oher & How It Sounds Exactly Like Lizzo's
The Tuohys, like Lizzo, are attempting to deflect the blame and portray themselves as the victims.
Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock; Jeff Weese, Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons In the wake of the alleged news that former NFL player Micheal Oher’s story depicted in the critically-acclaimed film, “The Blind Side” was false, Oher’s supposed adopted family, the Tuohys, have released a statement via their family lawyer.
Although the family claims that they are “heartbroken” over Oher’s recent allegations against them, and say that they will always care for him deeply and hope to reconcile in the future, many people cannot help but notice the evidence that points toward how the family was able to manipulate and deceive Oher, portraying him as the villain of the recent news story and themselves as the victims.
People have also pointed out that the Tuohy family’s statement aligns with the strategy used by the singer Lizzo after several of her backup dancers up came forward accusing her of a hostile work environment.
Like the Tuohys, Lizzo attempted to deflect the blame by gaslighting her accusers.
A veteran publicist broke down the Tuohy family’s statement and compared it to Lizzo’s statement addressing her backup dancers’ accusations.
Molly McPherson, who is familiar with pop culture PR, took to TikTok to share her analysis of the Tuohy family’s statement regarding Micheal Oher’s accusations that they never legally adopted him and they profited off the exploitation of his falsified story portrayed in “The Blind Side” film.
The Tuohy family’s lawyer, Martin Singer, however, claims that his clients tell a different version of events and that Oher is attempting to “shake them down” for money.
“Let’s look at what the Tuohys are doing to Michael Oher via this statement,” McPherson says in a video that has been viewed over 400,000 times. She starts by breaking down the first two lines of the statement.
“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 idea that the Tuohys have ever sought to profit off Mr. Oher is not only offensive, it is transparently ridiculous.”
McPherson cannot help but notice that the lines are eerily similar to Lizzo’s issued statement that she issued via social media in the wake of her backup dancers' allegations.
“These last few days have been gut-wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing. My work ethic, morals, and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized.”
The two statements open up centering around how the perpetrators have been hurt by the victims having the courage to come forward, and dismissing the pain they have suffered through it all.
Oddly enough, Lizzo’s attorney is none other than Martin Singer, who is also the Tuohy family’s attorney.
“Marty Singer’s statements are filled with negative framing,” McPherson points out.
She says that the Tuohy’s family statement right off the bat opens with the “questioning the intelligence and the credibility of Michael Oher.” “By beginning with this demeaning tone of a ‘modicum of common sense,’... you’re labeling Oher, like his character in ‘The Blind Side.’”
Anyone who has seen the film is aware that Oher is portrayed as uneducated and unintelligent in several parts of the movie, notably when he is first learning how to play football and when he is working toward his high school diploma.
McPherson also notes that the Tuohy family was quick to demonstrate “malicious intent” toward Oher, who they claim is a beloved member of their family. She notes that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy’s son, Sean Jr., recently guest starred on a podcast where he accused Oher of attempting to “take advantage” of his family.
Already, the Tuohys are going above and beyond to deceive the public into believing that they are the victims of the situation.
“The statement is accusing Oher of filing the lawsuit as a ‘cynical attempt to drum up attention,’” McPherson continues. “They’re planting this idea that Micheal Oher is the one who is creating this kind of veil of deception.”
McPherson also highlights another significant part of the Tuohy family’s statement.
“Unbeknownst to the public, Mr. Oher has actually attempted to run this play several times before – but it seems that numerous other lawyers stopped representing him once they saw the evidence and learned the truth. Sadly, Mr. Oher has finally found a willing enabler and filed this ludicrous lawsuit as a cynical attempt to drum up attention in the middle of his latest book tour,” the statement reads.
She claims that here, the Touhys are attempting to portray themselves as an innocent family who has simply put up with Oher’s antics until now when he is finally being heard and they are being exposed for their true nature.
McPherson also notices that the final part of the statement portrays Oher as “ungrateful” and “disloyal.”
“The Tuohys will always care deeply for Mr. Oher. They are heartbroken over these events. 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 final portion of the statement addresses.
“What Marty Singer is trying to do is to diminish Micheal Oher as much as he can,” she says. “The whole argument that Michael Oher is saying is that they [the Tuohys] were pretending to be my family, they told me that I was adopted. This statement shreds credibility and supports and buttresses his argument 100%.”
McPherson leaves all the loving and dedicated parents with a burning question: “Even if you were furious at your kid, would you ever write that statement?”
The Tuohy family, similar to Lizzo, is attempting to pin the blame on the victims they hurt instead of recognizing their own faults and the contradictions of their statements that only deepen the hurt.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.