Eric Tillman will go down as the most-successful general manager - football-wise - in Saskatchewan Roughriders history, reaching two Grey Cup games and winning one in three full seasons at the helm of the CFL team.
But he will be forever be remembered for the way his tenure in Saskatchewan ended - with a guilty plea to a summary sexual assault charge, followed by his resignation four days later.
A saga that began with police investigating an incident involving the Tillman family's 16-year-old babysitter in August of 2008, came to a close after Tillman and Riders president Jim Hopson mutually agreed his resignation was in the best interests of all involved.
"Eric's capabilities have been immense," Hopson said yesterday. "It's not an accident we've had the success we've had. But given [the team's]community ownership, and our code of conduct and the expectations of our fan base, we have to look at what's best for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
"We can't make decisions based on fan opinion, but I would say this is one that brought out strong emotions on both sides."
While he said he was unsure about his immediate plans, Tillman, 52, confidently predicted his career in the CFL was not over.
"I fully expect to be working in the Canadian Football League at some point in the future," he said.
However, where and when that might be is difficult to say.
The only current executive vacancy is in Winnipeg, where the Blue Bombers are looking to hire a vice-president of football operations to replace Mike Kelly, who was fired last month. However, given Kelly's own legal troubles - charged with assault in a domestic dispute - the Bombers are believed to be steering clear of Tillman.
Speculation around the CFL is rampant that Tillman will end up in Toronto, where the Argonauts could be in for a front-office shakeup once the team's ownership situation is clarified.
However, Argos owners Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon are believed to be viewing Tillman's availability with extreme caution, as is potential Argos owner David Braley.
"What's Eric's future in the CFL? ... I think that will be interesting," Hopson said. "But I do know there are not a lot of really good football people available in the CFL. ... I can't speak for other teams, but I would be surprised if at some point there isn't interest in someone of his abilities."
While many in the CFL believe Tillman may have trouble finding work in the league in the short-term, Hamilton Tiger-Cat owner Bob Young believes he should be forgiven.
"Our society tends to overpunish people," Young said.
Last Tuesday, Tillman was given an absolute discharge, meaning he doesn't have a criminal record.
"So given that the judge and the girl and her family have forgiven him for his mistake, I'm not so sure why the rest of us are being so condemning of an act we did not witness. Everyone should be forgiven for a single mistake, particularly when the victim does not carry a grudge."
So far, the league is not planning to consider any supplementary discipline for Tillman.
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Eric Tillman will go down as the most-successful general manager - football-wise - in Saskatchewan Roughriders history, reaching two Grey Cup games and winning one in three full seasons at the helm of the CFL team.
But he will be forever be remembered for the way his tenure in Saskatchewan ended - with a guilty plea to a summary sexual assault charge, followed by his resignation four days later.
A saga that began with police investigating an incident involving the Tillman family's 16-year-old babysitter in August of 2008, came to a close after Tillman and Riders president Jim Hopson mutually agreed his resignation was in the best interests of all involved.
"Eric's capabilities have been immense," Hopson said yesterday. "It's not an accident we've had the success we've had. But given [the team's]community ownership, and our code of conduct and the expectations of our fan base, we have to look at what's best for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
"We can't make decisions based on fan opinion, but I would say this is one that brought out strong emotions on both sides."
While he said he was unsure about his immediate plans, Tillman, 52, confidently predicted his career in the CFL was not over.
"I fully expect to be working in the Canadian Football League at some point in the future," he said.
However, where and when that might be is difficult to say.
The only current executive vacancy is in Winnipeg, where the Blue Bombers are looking to hire a vice-president of football operations to replace Mike Kelly, who was fired last month. However, given Kelly's own legal troubles - charged with assault in a domestic dispute - the Bombers are believed to be steering clear of Tillman.
Speculation around the CFL is rampant that Tillman will end up in Toronto, where the Argonauts could be in for a front-office shakeup once the team's ownership situation is clarified.
However, Argos owners Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon are believed to be viewing Tillman's availability with extreme caution, as is potential Argos owner David Braley.
"What's Eric's future in the CFL? ... I think that will be interesting," Hopson said. "But I do know there are not a lot of really good football people available in the CFL. ... I can't speak for other teams, but I would be surprised if at some point there isn't interest in someone of his abilities."
While many in the CFL believe Tillman may have trouble finding work in the league in the short-term, Hamilton Tiger-Cat owner Bob Young believes he should be forgiven.
"Our society tends to overpunish people," Young said.
Last Tuesday, Tillman was given an absolute discharge, meaning he doesn't have a criminal record.
"So given that the judge and the girl and her family have forgiven him for his mistake, I'm not so sure why the rest of us are being so condemning of an act we did not witness. Everyone should be forgiven for a single mistake, particularly when the victim does not carry a grudge."
So far, the league is not planning to consider any supplementary discipline for Tillman.
As to where the Roughriders might turn to replace the GM, the most obvious candidate is their director of football operations, Brendan Taman, who, up until last season, was general manager of the Blue Bombers.
"[Tillman's]contributions on the football side will be missed but they can be replaced," Hopson said. "One of the strengths of the Riders over the past few years is to have a deep bench."
Tillman came to Saskatchewan midway through the 2006 season, with a mandate to improve the on-field product and clean up a team whose players had had a series of brushes with the law.
The Roughriders went 34-19-1 during three full regular seasons under Tillman, with three playoff appearances, a Grey Cup win in 2007, and a narrow loss in last November's championship game.
"It has been an absolute privilege to be a part of this community, province and this team," Tillman said yesterday.
Hopson said the team was not responsible for the remainder of Tillman's contract, which is believed to run until at least 2011.
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