When Eric Tillman first sat at his new desk as the general manager of the Edmonton Eskimos, looking over the half filled, 60,000-seat Commonwealth stadium, a wealth of emotions certainly rushed over him. The dreams of the Eskimos Empire are now in his hands, when only a few months ago they were in belt loops.
Pleading guilty to a sexual assault charge that accused the Jackson, Mississippi native of touching his daughter’s babysitter inappropriately in early 2009, Tillman was hired by the Edmonton Eskimos to revitalize the organization to the days . Unfortunately, Tillman has baggage that will certainly weigh down the spirits of the Eskimo faithful.
The position of general manager of a professional Canadian football team is a very public role and the responsibilities of this job should not be taken lightly. The irresponsible behavior of Tillman is only made so as a result of the irresponsible actions of the Edmonton Eskimos board of directors when they made the choice to hire Tillman to the highest decision making position in the organization.
Tillman will be successful. Winning two championships as the GM for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, he has proven that he has the football intelligence bring Grey Cups back to the City of Champions. However, the CFL, means more to Canadian’s than just three downs or a slightly larger pigskin compared to their American cousin. The game is something that all Canadians can lay claim to. Unfortunately, for many Edmontonians, the pride that they have has for the Gridiron been disregarded by the Eskimos ownership.
The Edmonton Eskimos have a tradition of winning, they are the only team in CFL history to win 15 Grey Cup Championships. However, it is clear that the Eskimos care more about winning then they care about their membership in Edmonton’s community.
I am in support of offering individuals a second chance after mistakes have been made. But offering Eric Tillman a second punt at the top job is a mistake for the Edmonton Eskimos future as a respectable organization.
The seats of Commonwealth stadium have been vacated for years. While Tillman’s hire may change the statistics on the scoreboard, the GM will continue to stare out at an empty stadium on first and ten in the red zone — not for lack of winning but because of the hailstorm that will ensue as a result of Tillman’s miscalculated hire.
