On the surface, it may seem perplexing that Michael Oher is going to all this trouble.

Earlier this week, the former NFL player took legal action against the family that famously took him in, hoping to end their conservatorship, prevent them from using his name and likeness, and claim funds from them to which he says he’s entitled.

The filing cast a new light on Oher’s relationship with the Tuohy family, which played a key role in rescuing Oher from challenging circumstances and helping him get to the NFL — a story immortalized in the Oscar-winning 2009 movie “The Blind Side,” based on the Michael Lewis book of the same name.