Michael Oherโs long journey to football success is well-chronicled in a best-selling book and an upcoming movie, but he needed to wait just a few extra days to officially realize his dream.
Oher officially signed a five-year contract on Thursday, ending a brief holdout. The deal is worth up to $13.8 million and includes $7.8 million in guaranteed money. With the contract now behind him, the projected starting right tackle is ready to focus on the game.
โIโm pleased to be here today, and Iโm still excited,โ Oher said. โIโm very excited that the Ravens decided to pick me. I feel like I have to give it my all, and Iโm glad we came to an agreement.โ
General manager Ozzie Newsome described the negotiations as difficult, pointing to the teamโs early start date for training camp and the lack of first-round picks that had signed contracts. He credited vice president of football administration Pat Moriarty and Oherโs agent Jimmy Sexton for their creativity in working out a contract that would work for both sides.
In describing why Oher was such an attractive player to the Ravens, Newsome talked about his work ethic and the responsibility he feels for his teammates. Oher felt he was letting down his teammates by holding out and wanted to report to camp as soon as possible.
The Ravens now possess the youngest starting duo of offensive tackles in Oher and Jared Gaither. Newsome is confident that the Ravens are set at the tackle position for years to come and believes the offensive line can become one of the best lines in the league under the tutelage of offensive line coach John Matsko and assistant line coach Andy Moeller.
โYou need depth. You have to have depth in this league to be able to play a 16-game season and hopefully get into the playoffs, and I think we have that,โ Newsome said. โThe thing I am most confident about is John Matsko and Andy Moeller. And, I have been in this business for as long as I have, having been coached by some really good offensive line coachesโHoward Mudd comes to my mindโis to watch those two guys work with these guys, develop these guys and get these guys ready to play. I donโt think any other team has two better offensive line coaches than we do.โ
Oherโs story is one of triumph over tragedy. His father was murdered while Oher was in high school and his mother was addicted to crack cocaine during Oherโs youth, so he bounced around between foster homes and attended 11 different schools in his first 9 years as a student.
At the age of 16, he was finally admitted into a private school and taken in by the Tuohy family, giving him stability and allowing him to begin his improbable journey to Ole Miss and, eventually, the NFL. Oherโs story is the subject of the 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis. The book is also being made into a motion picture.
Despite his traumatic upbringing, Oher is ready to turn the page to the next chapter in his lifeโas a professional football player.
โโItโs very special. You have to forget where you came from. You have to move forward and continue to work hard and just put all your trust in the right people, come to practice and play every day.โ
Hereโs a great video chronicling his improbable story:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FhlbsJUJ9Q[/youtube]
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
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