Eric Tillman will be named the new general manager of the Edmonton Eskimos on Tuesday.
Football-wise, it is a perfect fit. A franchise once known for its consistent excellence is a shambles right now, and Tillman belongs on a short list of those who might quickly right the ship.
He knows the culture of the CFL, knows its idiosyncrasies, knows its talent and its fan base. Give Tillman the chance to rebuild the organization and, come 2011, you can bet there will be signs of new life.
But where this story becomes far more complex is in the reason Tillman was available in the first place.
In the summer of 2008, while he was GM of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, something happened between Tillman and a 16-year-old babysitter which can be filed in the wide spectrum of moral offences between trivial and heinous.
It wasn't nothing, because the girl was a minor, because the police became involved, charges were laid, and eventually Tillman plead guilty to summary sexual assault. It was certainly distasteful. But in the eyes of the law, it also wasn't particularly serious, because after admitting responsibility, Tillman was unpunished, granted an absolute discharge, and left without a criminal record.
It was enough, though, that the Riders decided they no longer wanted to employ him, despite the fact he was the architect of a roster that won only the third Grey Cup in franchise history (in 2007) and very nearly won another last year - achievements for which everyone involved was celebrated as a provincial hero.
Think of it as an assertion of "community values" or think of it as a function of pure, marketing mathematics - the calculation of football assets minus public relations liabilities. The Roughriders board decided it could live without Tillman or that it had to live without Tillman, because he was a bad guy or because he was too radioactive, especially in a smallish city.
Others outside of Saskatchewan felt the same way, at least in the short term. In an eight-team league, and in the larger football world beyond, no one else jumped up to hire him despite his obvious skills.
As recently as six weeks ago, when Danny Maciocia was fired as the Eskimos GM and Tillman's name naturally surfaced as a potential replacement, informed speculation from Edmonton suggested he would not be considered for the post by what is another publicly owned franchise.
What has changed since then?
Presumably not Edmonton's community standards. But the football team has lost four out of five in mostly miserable fashion, dropping to 2-8 on the season, and the need for a quick, definitive fix presumably superseded worries about the potential fallout.
Oh, there will still be things said.
Consider a few comments from the Edmonton Journal's message boards this week (acknowledging it's not a scientific measure of public opinion) after news of the Tillman hiring leaked out:
"The fact that this is even of discussion makes me want to boycott the Eskimos. It amazes me how morals seem to take a back seat when money and power are on the line."
"I'd rather be 0-18 for the next 20 years than have this guy and win Grey Cups."
"The Eskimos used to stand for something … something more than just good football but a community minded organization with integrity."
"Would you hire Tillman as a teacher? How about a salesman? How about a CEO for a respectable company? How about running a freaking shoeshine stand? So, if he is an unsuitable hire for those positions, how can sports be so different, especially when our youth looks to these guys for their role models?"
But you know what?
There won't be any boycott.
Precious few season tickets will be cancelled.
There won't be any protesters at Commonwealth Stadium - or if there are, they'll be gone soon enough.
When the Eskimos get better, as they will, the fans of the green and gold will be cheering their hearts out.
A dog torturer who was never going to be able to show his face again had a heck of a game for the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. A serial philanderer is struggling to get his swing back, but most American golf fans will be rooting for him come Ryder Cup time.
A whole host of others who entertain us, who distract us, who do things we need them to do, have committed a whole host of sins, venial and mortal, and the have been welcomed back to the fold, some remarkably quickly.
Consider that many of the same Edmontonians who don't want anything to do with Eric Tillman cheered on an Oilers player who later became the team's head coach and took them to the Stanley Cup final - and who while driving drunk killed a young woman and served time for vehicular homicide.
We are a flexible, forgiving species when it suits us.
Way more flexible than we sometimes like to let on.