Michael Oher's High School Coach Says 'Facts Will Come Out' in Legal Dispute with Tuohy Family

The football coach called the legal dispute between the former NFL star and the Tuohy's "sad" on Thursday

Michael Oher's former coach Hugh Freeze has weighed in on the legal dispute between the former NFL star and Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy.

On Monday, Oher, 37, filed a petition claiming that the Tuohy family did not legally adopt him but tricked him into making them his conservators before earning millions from his falsified life story, which was depicted in the film The Blind Side.

"I am disheartened by the revelation shared in the lawsuit today," Oher said in a statement issued to PEOPLE by a representative for the former NFL player.

Freeze, 53, coached Oher while he was a student at Memphis' Briarcest Christian School and during his time with the Ole Miss Rebels. Freeze is also a longtime friend of Sean's, who was a booster for Ole Miss.

According to The Athletic, the football coach called the conflict "sad" on Thursday.

Related: Lawyers for Tuohy Family Say They Will Agree to Release Michael Oher from Conservatorship: 'Glad to Do So'

Freeze, who currently serves as the head coach at Auburn University, said, "I think it's sad. I certainly don’t claim to understand all the ins and outs of adoption, conservatory, all of that. I know what I witnessed. I witnessed a family that totally took in a young man and I think without that, there is no story," the outlet reported.

The head coach continued, “I know this: If Michael called Sean right now and said let’s work this thing out, Sean and Leigh Anne would be there in a hurry to hug his neck and tell him he’s loved," per The Athletic's report.

“I hope he feels that. Until you walk in people’s shoes, I don’t claim to have all the answers to anything, but I think whatever happens will happen. The facts will come out."

Freeze explained that he has "love" for "both sides" in the legal drama, referring to both Oher and the Tuohys.

Oher's former coach added that it's "admirable" what Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy did for the Blind Side subject. “Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy did something that probably most families, a lot of us talk about doing things, they actually put the shoes on and pulled the boots up and got in the arena and did something and I think that’s admirable," Freeze said on Thursday, reported by The Athletic.

Related: Michael Oher Called Tuohys His ‘Conservators’ in 2011 Book, Claims They Said It's 'Pretty Much' Adoption

In the petition filed Monday, Oher alleges they misled him into signing paperwork that placed him in a conservatorship at 18 years old, while telling him it was the same as adoption. The 2004 conservatorship filing stated that he “shall not be allowed to enter into any contracts or bind himself without the direct approval of his conservators," according to Oher's filing.

Oher also alleged in his petition that the Tuohys — including their two birth children, Collins Tuohy and Sean Tuohy Jr. — were paid $225,000 for The Blind Side plus 2.5% of the film's proceeds and did not include him.

Oher said in a statement shared with PEOPLE, "This is a difficult situation for my family and me. I want to ask everyone to please respect our privacy at this time. For now, I will let the lawsuit speak for itself and will offer no further comment."

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Freeze's relationship with Oher was depicted in The Blind Side. The character inspired by Freeze, Coach Cotton, is portrayed by actor Ray McKinnon.

Freeze previously told the New York Post that he has mixed thoughts on his portrayal in the film.

“I sure hope I’m not as goofy as this guy — that was my reaction,” Freeze told the publication. “I don’t think I needed so much guidance in coaching, but at the end of the day the movie is about a young man who receives a chance and a family who puts their faith into action. It changed a person’s trajectory in life. At the end of the day, that’s what I want my coaching to be about.”

In 2017, the Auburn head coach endured a public controversy of his own after USA Today discovered Freeze was soliciting female escorts using an Ole Miss University phone. According to the outlet, he announced his resignation shortly after the allegation was made public.

After the university conducted an internal investigation, Freeze was found to have exhibited "a pattern of misconduct" during his time at Ole Miss, per USA Today.

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