What The Blind Side Doesn't Tell You About The True Story

"The Blind Side" gives the bulk of the credit for Oher's rise from poverty to football star to the Tuohys. And, of course, to Oher's athletic abilities, football instincts, and determined personality, which were real. But it took many people from different parts of Oher's life to provide the support and opportunities he needed to achieve athletic stardom.

In his book "I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness to the Blind Side and Beyond," Oher credits some of his 11 siblings with protecting him when he was a child (he was his mother's sixth child). He also says that even though he and his siblings feared social workers because they didn't want to be separated, he now appreciates that his case worker did their best to not let him slip through the cracks. Although some of his foster homes were "less than ideal," as Oher put it in the book, some provided at least a measure of security. However, he would still try to run away to find his mom.

The movie does show that before Oher met the Tuohys, he was staying with an athletic coach from his public housing complex in Hurt Village — Tony Henderson (Hamilton in the movie) — who helped Oher get into a private high school. In real life, it was Briarcrest Christian School, not Wingate.

To be fair to "The Blind Side," most of the movie takes place after Oher has entered Wingate. But that focus still pulls attention away from the other people in his life who did try to help him, including his own family and people from his community.