REGINA — The general manager of the Saskatchewan Roughriders says he made a mistake sexually grabbing his children’s teenage babysitter and will live with that forever, but Eric Tillman hopes it doesn’t cost him his job with the CFL team.
“It’s a regret that I’ll take to my grave,” he said outside a Regina courthouse Tuesday.
“I very much hope that my relationship continues with this club, but if it doesn’t I’ll have a great deal of gratitude for the last three years, for the privilege of being here. It will not end acrimoniously if that’s the result, but ultimately they speak to that, not to me.”
Tillman, 52, spoke just minutes after he was granted an absolute discharge for sexually assaulting a girl in the summer of 2008. The decision means he won’t have a criminal record, despite pleading guilty.
Judge Murray Hinds said he believed Tillman was sorry for his behaviour and he accepted that the general manager was under the influence of a mixture of drugs he was taking for a sore back.
“There’s no suggestion that Mr. Tillman is not generally of good character,” said Hinds. “He has no prior criminal record. His behaviour towards (the teenage girl) on Aug. 6 appears to be an aberration fuelled by his consumption of two non-prescription drugs which he used for sleep and pain relief.
“It is significant that he accepts that he is responsible for his action and he appeared genuinely remorseful for these actions.”
Court heard Tillman was supposed to be at a team board meeting Aug. 6, 2008, but he was encouraged to go home by staff who thought he was “acting in an unusual manner.”
The girl, who was 16 at the time, was watching Tillman’s two children at the family’s Regina home when he arrived.
Crown prosecutor Bill Burge said she bent over as she fed one of the kids. When she stood up, Tillman put his hands on her hips with his fingers in her belt loops and “pulled the rear end of the complainant into himself,” Burge told the court.
Burge suggested the contact was “clearly of a sexual nature.”
Defence lawyer Aaron Fox said his client wasn’t thinking clearly because he had taken a double dose of sleep aids and pain medication. Fox told the court that employees at the Rider office described Tillman as being “loopy” and “definitely not himself and not with it” the day of the encounter.
Hinds said he’s satisfied that Tillman has learned the consequences of mixing medication and there was no reason to impose conditions on him. The only legal penalty Tillman received was a $50 court surcharge.
Tillman said he’s “basically been a prisoner in the house for a year” as he has rarely ventured outside. The situation has also been tough on his wife, Francine, he said.
“We had one incident with her that was unbelievably unfortunate,” said Tillman.
“She went to every home game, she actually went to the Grey Cup as a guest of the club, the club has been so good and kind to her. At the Winnipeg game she was taunted by some Bomber fans and called Mrs. Rapist. She had both children with her and ... she didn’t deserve that.”
While Tillman’s dealings with the law are now done, his status with the team is questionable. He has been on paid administrative leave since he was charged last February, but worked behind the scenes from his home throughout the season.
Rider president Jim Hopson has called for a special meeting of the board of directors. The Riders and Tillman have agreed that he won’t have any day-to-day responsibilities with the club for now.
A native of Mississippi, Tillman has enjoyed great success in the CFL as a general manager. He helped lead the Riders to the Grey Cup championship in 2007 and led the B.C. Lions and Toronto Argonauts to Grey Cup titles in 1994 and 1997, respectively.
He has also worked as a television analyst with TSN and Sportsnet.
Tillman also served as the general manager of the expansion Ottawa Renegades for three seasons before returning to broadcasting and ultimately landing the post with the Riders. In July 2008, the team rewarded him with a contract extension through 2010.
CFL spokesman Jamie Dykstra said Tuesday that the league is aware of the developments in Regina, but he added the matter is with the Roughriders board of directors. Dykstra said the league will not comment until after the Riders have reached a decision about Tillman.
Tillman was hired in 2006 and took over a team that had a tarnished reputation in the community because several players ran into trouble with the law.
He preached a message of respect and promised to clean up the team’s image. The Riders adopted a code of conduct requiring players to obey the law, act with honesty and integrity, respect others and take responsibility for their actions.
Tillman said Tuesday that he wasn’t the author of the code, but stands behind it.
Tillman said he would let the board and Hopson decide about his future with the Riders, but made it clear that he’d like to continue with the team.
“I love this franchise dearly. We’ve moved here, our family is here and I would love to stay.”