Warner Bros., Alcon Entertainment and writer-director John Lee Hancock have been blindsided by claims from NFL lineman Michael Oher that their Oscar-nominated 2009 movie about Oher's life, "The Blind Side," negatively affected his pro football career.
According to ESPN, Oher told sports reporters on Wednesday that "The Blind Side" has effectively served as a distraction that has taken the focus off his skills on the field.
"I'm not trying to prove anything," Oher said. "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. That's taken away from my football. That's why people criticize me. That's why people look at me every single play," said Oher in response to a question of whether he feels like he has to prove himself before the season.
Warner Bros. declined to comment on Oher's comments, while a representative for Hancock did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Oher is playing for the Carolina Panthers this season after struggling the past two years with the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans.
"The Blind Side" starred Sandra Bullock in an Oscar-winning performance as a wealthy mother who takes in a homeless black teenager and introduces him to football, which helps save his life. The film grossed more than $300 million worldwide.
