00:00 In a new update on the blindside story,
00:02 real life coach Hugh Freeze told The Athletic
00:05 that he thinks the quote, "facts will come out."
00:08 This all comes as Michael O'Her filed his petition
00:10 claiming the Tui family lied about adopting him
00:13 and tricked him into a conservatorship.
00:15 Michael O'Her, the retired NFL player
00:21 who alleged the Tui family profited off his life story,
00:24 filed his petition against the family who quote,
00:26 "adopted him."
00:27 And now his former football coach is speaking out
00:29 about the situation.
00:30 It's Anil Wani reporting.
00:32 Hugh Freeze, who worked with O'Her as the coach
00:34 at Briarcrest Christian High School in Memphis
00:36 and then as the assistant coach at Ole Miss,
00:39 noted quote, "I think it's sad in regards to the controversy.
00:42 "The Tui family, who claimed they had filed
00:44 "a conservatorship in order to meet NAACP standards,
00:47 "have been speaking to press claiming
00:49 "the false adoption allegations are simply not true."
00:52 However, in regards to the entire situation,
00:54 Coach Freeze went on to say quote,
00:56 "I certainly don't claim to understand
00:58 "all the ins and outs of adoption, conservatory,
01:00 "and all that.
01:01 "I know what I witnessed.
01:02 "I witnessed a family that totally took in a young man
01:05 "and I think without that, there is no story."
01:08 In regards to the lawsuit,
01:09 Sean Tui told the Daily Memphian on August 14th,
01:12 claiming he was quote, "devastated by the allegations,"
01:14 adding quote, "It's upsetting to think
01:16 "we would make money off any of our children."
01:19 Since the filing, the family has shared
01:21 that they plan to voluntarily terminate
01:23 O'Her's conservatorship after nearly 20 years.
01:25 However, their lawyer, Marty Singer,
01:27 also blasted the claims of financial gain as quote,
01:30 "absurd" and quote, "transparently ridiculous."
01:34 He stated quote, "The Tui's opened their home
01:36 "to Mr. O'Her, offered him structure, support,
01:39 "and most of all, unconditional love.
01:41 "They have consistently treated him like a son
01:43 "and one of their three children."
01:44 O'Her is now 37 years old and married with four children.
01:47 He expressed in a statement saying he was quote,
01:49 "disheartened by the revelation shared in the lawsuit,"
01:52 alleging the filing he learned about in February of 2023
01:55 did not give him legal adoption status to the Tui's.
01:58 The former athlete claims in his petition
01:59 that the family secured a deal worth $225,000,
02:03 plus 2.5% of the film's net proceeds.
02:06 The movie starring Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw
02:08 earned nearly $300 million at the box office.
02:10 Attorney Randall Fishman and attorney Steve Fares
02:13 also disputed O'Her's claims
02:14 that each of the four family members
02:16 was paid for the movie and he was not.
02:18 The legal team disputed the claim,
02:20 stating that each family member
02:21 received the same amount of money split five ways evenly.
02:24 Fares also stated that O'Her managed all of his own finances
02:28 without interference from the Tui's.
02:30 Quote, "He entered his own contract.
02:32 He has his own agents," the attorney said.
02:33 As for why the conservatorship was not terminated sooner,
02:36 allegedly no one had even thought about it.
02:38 According to the legal team,
02:39 the Tui's and O'Her have been estranged
02:41 for at least 10 years.
02:43 We'll keep you updated with the story at What's Trending.
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