Michael Oher has had an incredible journey of throughout his life, as most people who have seen the film based around him have found out. But Oher has come to blame the film The Blind Side, because he believes it has caused people to underestimate his worth as a lineman with his supposed poor play. That stigma of poor play has led Oher to a new team this offseason, where his frustration broke through when he swung at a teammate during the teams OTA., in an effort to start a fight.
Oher told ESPN about his struggles with the public's perception of his play, claiming most only think of him as a tale from a film, instead of a solid NFL lineman:
"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.''
Oher has joined the Carolina Panthers as his new team this offseason and has already tried to show the coaches and young players he is there to mean business. NBC Sports Pro Football Talk has Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera explaining the scuffle between Oher and Kony Ealy during the teams recent OTA:
"I don't like the fighting, but I do like the fact that there was a standoff. Kony's a young guy who's learning and trying to learn how to cope and Michael's a veteran guy. It's kind of like the young bear poking the older bear. I don't mind the pushing and the shoving, but when you start swinging at one another, you've got to be careful. You've got to treat each other like brothers, and if you had a fight with a brother, you wouldn't swing at him, you'd probably want to make sure you talk to your mom and dad. My office is open."
Does the film The Blind Side cause an unfair assessment as Oher as a player? How will Oher perform protecting Cam Newton this season? Tell us your thoughts below.
