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Former NFL offensive lineman Michael Oher levied some significant allegations against Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy when he filed a lawsuit in August claiming they never legally adopted him, but now the family is accusing him of extortion.

According to The Athletic's Torrey Hart, the Tuohys alleged in new court documents filed on Monday that Oher "sent them text messages and emails to try to extort them out of $15 million with threats of ruining the glossy depictions of their relationship." Snippets of Oher's messages were included in the court filings, as the Tuohys said he threatened to say publicly that he was robbed out of $50 million.

"If something isn't resolve (sic) this Friday, I'm going to go ahead and tell the world, how I was robbed by my suppose (sic) to be parents. That's the deadline," the Tuohys alleged Oher said. They also said Oher told them: "Think how it will look when this comes out."

Oher accused the Tuohys of lying about adopting him when they became his conservators in 2004, which gave them the legal authority to make business deals in his name. Hart noted that the Tuohys have since admitted that their conservatorship was used to help Oher commit to playing for Mississippi.

In his lawsuit in August, Oher requested the conservatorship be discontinued and asked for a full accounting of money earned off his name, image and likeness. The relationship between Oher and the Tuohys was notably depicted in the 2006 book The Blind Side and the 2009 movie of the same name, the latter of which Oher claimed he didn't receive any money for while the Tuohys and their children made millions.

The Tuohys denied Oher's allegations in a September court filing, saying they were "ready, willing and able to terminate the conservatorship by consent at any time." They also claimed that Oher was paid the same share of The Blind Side film profits that each of them and their two children received, which was about $138,000.

A Tennessee judge said in September that she would end the conservatorship but wouldn't dismiss the financial aspect of the case.

In Monday's court filings, the Tuohys "argued that their retelling of the tale of their relationship with Oher in paid appearances fell under fair use and should not be considered a commercial use of Oher's name, image and likeness that requires him to be paid," per Hart. They also argued against the injunction Oher is seeking in the case that would bar them from using his name, image and likeness.

"Oher is a part of their personal and family story; it is not commercial speech in the form of an advertisement or solicitation," the filing from the Tuohys said. "The protected speech in question is designed to encourage ordinary people to make a difference in the lives of people like Mr. Oher."

A former first-round pick, Oher retired from the NFL in 2017 after eight seasons in the league. The 37-year-old won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2012.

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