S.J. Toohey Expected to Become Athletic Director at Louisiana-Monroe

S.J. Toohey, portrayed by Jay Head in the film The Blind Side, is likely to be appointed as the next athletic director at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, according to several reports.

At 32 years old, Toohey is currently the associate athletic director of development at Oral Roberts University.

Before his role at Oral Roberts, he held several positions: he was the executive director of Kingdom NIL at UCF, assistant athletic director and chief of football staff for the Knights, and also worked at Liberty as assistant athletic director and director of football operations. He began his career at Arkansas as associate director of football operations and player personnel, as noted in his biography.

In The Blind Side, based on Michael Lewis’s book, young Toohey’s bond with former NFL offensive lineman Michael Oher was central to Oher’s story of reaching college.

Oher, who had an eight-year career in the NFL with teams like the Ravens, Titans, and Panthers, took legal action against Toohey’s parents in 2023. He claimed they had not legally adopted him and had made money from the film through a conservatorship that gave them control over his decisions.

This conservatorship prevented Oher from making his own medical choices or signing contracts. As reported, it ended in September 2023.

In his legal filing, Oher stated, “The lie about Michael’s adoption is one that co-guardians Lee Ann Tuohy and Sean Tuohy enriched themselves at the expense of their ward, Mr. Michael Oher.” He expressed deep dismay and embarrassment upon discovering that the conservatorship, which he thought would create a family-like bond with the Tuohys, did not reflect that reality.

The Toohey family, in their response, strongly denied these allegations, asserting that they are willing to terminate the conservatorship by mutual consent at any time.