Their claim to have adopted him was wrong, when they just put him under conservatorship. That was probably a heartfelt sentiment, as opposed to a legal standing. They made him as much of a son as they could.
“The Tuohys refuted his [Oher’s] claim that they told him they intended to legally adopt him.”
Here’s what the judge said:
It looks to me like it was a well-planned scam, but not racist.
They could have actually adopted him — there was and is no age limit on that in Mississippi.
The help they did give him was not legal under NCAA rules unless they had adopted him or put him under conservatorship (which he agreed to).
Did they do it because they were Ole Miss boosters or because they wanted to help him?