Aug 14, 2023 4 min read

In the NFL

Michael Oher, the former NFL tackle known for being the inspiration for the movie “The Blind Side,” filed a petition Monday in a Tennessee probate court accusing Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy of lying to him by having him sign papers making them his conservators rather than his adoptive parents nearly two decades ago.

In the petition filed Monday in Shelby County Probate Court, Oher asks for the conservatorship to be terminated along with asking for a full accounting of the money earned off the use of his name and story. He also asks to be paid what he is due along with interest.

He accuses the Tuohys of enriching themselves at his expense by continuing to “falsely and publicly” represent themselves as his adoptive parents “to the date of the filing of this petition.”

“Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the Conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys,” according to the petition.

Oher, who has never been a fan of the movie about his life, also asks in the petition that the Tuohys be sanctioned and required to pay both compensatory and punitive damages determined by the court.

• Six-time all-pro guard Zack Martin and the Dallas Cowboys have agreed to a reworked contract, with a raise to $18 million for each of the next two seasons after he missed the team’s first three weeks of training camp and its preseason opener.

In the NHL

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Rodion Amirov has died less than two years since being diagnosed with a brain tumor. He was 21.

Agent Dan Milstein confirmed to the Associated Press that Amirov died Monday in Munich, Germany. The team said in February 2022 that Amirov had a brain tumor and would go to Germany for treatment, in the hopes of being able to resume his hockey career at some point.

• The International Ice Hockey Federation ruled in favor of the Philadelphia Flyers by agreeing that Russian goaltender Ivan Fedotov had a valid NHL contract for the upcoming season when he signed with CSKA Moscow in the KHL.

The decision paves the way for Fedotov to play in North America, like he planned to do a year ago before being conscripted into the Russian military.

It was not immediately clear if he’d seek to leave Russia to play in North America. Relations between Russia and the U.S. are strained over the war in Ukraine, the NHL cut ties in Russia last year and no transfer agreement exists between the league and the KHL.

In the NBA

Doris Burke will become the first woman to serve as a game analyst on television for a championship final in one of the four major professional U.S. sports leagues.

ESPN announced Monday that Burke and Doc Rivers will join Mike Breen on ESPN and ABC’s top NBA broadcast crew.

“People will say, ‘Well, this is a trailblazing move.’ You’re absolutely right. But the only way that any trailblazer is successful, whether it’s an African American or a woman or anyone it’s based on the results and their performance. Doris Burke’s performance and results are unprecedented and unmatched in this industry,” said David Roberts, ESPN’s head of studio and event production.

James Harden appears determined to sever ties with the Philadelphia 76ers after the star guard called team president Daryl Morey a liar at a promotional event in China.