Carolina Panthers
Trial date set for Panthers’ Michael Oher’s misdemeanor assault case involving Uber driver
Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Michael Oher is scheduled to go to trial next month on a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from an altercation with an Uber driver in Nashville.
Oher, who has not been with the team during organized team activities this spring, is set to appear before a Davidson County (Tenn.) judge on July 21, according to an official with the district attorney’s office.
Oher, 31, was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
Oher gained worldwide fame with the 2009 release of “The Blind Side,” the movie that followed a best-selling book about Oher’s rise from homelessness to football prominence in his hometown of Memphis.
He was cited for allegedly pushing and kicking an Uber driver in the early-morning hours of April 14 following a dispute over the fare. The police report states Oher had been drinking.
Oher and four friends were in an Uber in route to a downtown Nashville restaurant, when the driver stopped at a gas station so two of the passengers could use the restroom, according to the report.
When the driver got out to open the door, Oher also exited the vehicle and confronted him, police say. The 48-year-old driver then put his hands in the direction of Oher’s face, and the 6-4, 315-pound Oher allegedly pushed him to the ground and kicked him in the leg before Oher’s friends restrained him, according to the report.
Oher’s trial would fall five days before the Panthers report to training camp, assuming he’s still with the team.
Oher signed a three-year, $21.6 million extension with the Panthers last June after starting every game at left tackle during their Super Bowl season of 2015.
Oher played the first three games last season before entering the concussion protocol. He later was placed on injured reserve and his status has been something of a mystery ever since.
League sources have told the Observer that Oher is out of shape, although Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Monday he’s been told Oher is working out in Nashville.
But Rivera offered no guarantees when asked whether Oher would attend next week’s mandatory minicamp in Charlotte, saying: “We’ll see.”
The Panthers seem to have begun moving on from Oher.
They signed left tackle Matt Kalil to a five-year, $55.5 million contract, the most lucrative deal they’ve ever given a free agent. Carolina then selected former Western Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Moton in the second round in the April draft.
Joseph Person: 704-358-5123, @josephperson