Homeless Foster Kid-Turned-NFL Star Shares Flip Side of “The Blind
Side”
Michael Oher
The “I Beat the Odds” Interview
With Kam Williams
Michael Oher was born on May 28, 1986 in Memphis, Tennessee,
where he negotiated a perilous path through the foster care system,
experiencing periods of homelessness. He eventually attended Briarcrest
Christian School and met Sean and Leigh-Anne Tuohy, who became his
adoptive parents. His inspirational story is the subject of Michael
Lewis’ book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, which was adapted to
the screen in 2009 as The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock in an
Oscar-winning performance.
Oher currently lives in Maryland where he is an offensive lineman for
the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. After playing
college football at the University of Mississippi for the Ole Miss
Rebels, he was drafted by the Ravens in the first round of the 2009 NFL
Draft.
Following his first year in the league, he was named to both the Pro
Football Weekly All-Rookie team and the USA Today All-Joe Team. He also
earned NFL Rookie of the Month honors for December and recently
completed a second successful season with the Ravens, making the
playoffs.
Here, Michael talks about his new autobiography, I Beat the
Odds.
Kam Williams: Hi Michael, thanks for the time.
Michael Oher: No problem. What’s up?
KW: You and the Raven’s had an excellent season. How’d you feel when
your season ended in Pittsburgh with that loss to the Steelers on a
last-minute Roethlisberger TD pass?
MO: It wasn’t a good feeling losing to those guys. It really stung.
KW: What’d you think of the Super Bowl?
MO: I just couldn’t bear to look at it. I watched a total of about four
minutes.
KW: I told my readers I’d be interviewing you and they sent in a
million questions.
MO: Hopefully, you won’t give me a million, ay?
KW: Well, we have limited time, so let’s see how many we can get to.
Let me start by asking how did you manage to make it all the way to the
NFL, given the neighborhood you came from and your challenging
childhood?
MO: There’s a big difference between where I came from and the NFL.
Things like this don’t happen to people from there often. It just took a
lot of hard work and dedication, staying on the right path, believing in
myself, and having an inner drive.
KW: Peter Keough asks: Why did you write your autobiography? Was
it because you felt misrepresented by The Blind Side?
MO: I kinda wanted to clear some things up after I got thousands of
letters from people who looked up to me, telling me I was such an
inspiration, and that they wanted to follow in my footsteps. And that if
I could do it, they could do it. I wanted to send out a positive message
and let them know that you don’t need a wealthy family to come in and
save you, like they saw in The Blind Side, because I felt that I always
had an inner drive deep, down inside. So, I just want to be an
encouraging voice for those who don’t believe they can make it.
KW: Kathy Ancar says: In the movie, there is a restaurant scene where
you embrace a young waiter who turns to be your brother. Have you
reconnected with your biological siblings?
MO: I’ve always been connected to them and maintained those
relationships. That scene in the movie was just Hollywood.
KW: Yale grad Tommy Russell asks: What do you think can be done on
the national level to increase awareness about the size of the foster
system in America and to help kids caught up in it?
MO: As you know, I put a lot of the unfortunate statistics in my book.
But there are a ton of us who’ve been through the foster care system who
are successful. Basically, I hope I’ve started something off by putting
my story out there. Now we need others to share their stories and let
everybody know what the real deal is and that it is possible to beat the
odds.
KW: Larry Greenberg says: You have a personal story that seems like
the stuff of an epic saga. Where do you weigh in on the relative
importance of destiny, luck, and perseverance?
MO: All of them are important factors. I’d say you need all three.
KW: Mirah Riben asks: What was it like being black and joining a
white family?
MO: That really wasn’t a big deal for me, although obviously there were
some adjustments, since the Tuohy’s had a different lifestyle from what
I was accustomed to. But there was a lot of love, and that’s what helped
to spark a great relationship.
KW: Teresa Emerson asks: Are you still close with the Tuohys?
MO: Yes, they’re still family. We talk every day, and they come to
every one of my games.
KW: Teresa would also like to know if you have any contact with your
birth mother.
MO: We’re not as close as we used to be but, hopefully, we’ll get back
to where we once were in the future.
KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier was wondering if you have a
message of hope for kids and young people who are in a similar
predicament to the one that you were in.
MO: Like I said before, you don’t need to win the lottery or for
somebody to come save you. I’m a living testimony to that. If you want
to do it, it is possible.
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman says: Your story is incredibly moving
and it's a joy to see your success. Many African-American youth who have
not been blessed with the same good fortune of a loving adoptive family
and benefactors suffer from an incredible achievement gap, mostly due to
lack of educational opportunities. How do you think we can help them?
MO: By devoting the time to sit down with a kid, one-on-one, and just
letting them know that they can do it. That’s all that it takes, giving
them the confidence.
KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles says: Your story is not just about beating
the odds; it's nothing short of a miracle. Can we engineer
miracles--without the help of angels?
MO: That’s the same as asking do you believe in God. Of course, we all
need angels. I had to have one over my head throughout my life, even
right now. The odds of my making it were slim to none. So you have to
have an angel. You have to believe.
KW: Felicia Haney asks: Do you plan to be a foster or adoptive
parent?
MO: I can’t say right now. I’d have to see down the road. But I’d love
to look into it and, hopefully, save a life as well.
KW: Reverend Florine Thompson asks: What would be the one thing you
would most like to change about the foster care system?
MO: I think there’s a need for more oversight by social workers, because
there are a lot of foster parents who are just collecting checks. They
need to look closely into the backgrounds of the people whose hands
you’re putting the kids into and then continue to monitor them.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone
would?
MO: No.
KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?
MO: Very.
KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a
good laugh?
MO: I have a good laugh all the time. Very often.
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you
read?
MO: I Beat the Odds.
KW: Thanks again for the interview, Michael, and best of luck with
the book and with the Ravens next season.
I Beat the Odds
MO: Thank you, Kam.
To order a copy of I Beat the Odds, visit:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1592406122/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
Read Kam's review of "I Beat the Odds"
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Lloyd
Kam Williams 