Eric Tillman: Justified GM for Eskimos?

Edmontonians have recently learned that the newly-hired Eric Tillman pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault early on in the year. While some may argue that this has nothing to do with his ability to coach a football team, I feel that it is pretty disgusting and Tillman should not be a representative for a major sports team in Edmonton. Tillman will be coaching, mentoring, and representing a team that represents our city, therefore a message is being sent that Edmontonians are ok with sexual assault, or at the very least willing to sweep it under the carpet. This is the very attitude that many organizations have been working tirelessly against for decades. Sexual assault is an abuse of power and of dominance, and its victims can be scarred in many ways for life. One out of three women and one out of six men will be sexually assaulted in some way in their lifetime, and the majority will never come forward about it because they are scared it will be brushed off or they will not be believed. By hiring Tillman so soon after his violation of a teenage girl, the Eskimos are reinforcing the idea that sexual assault is not a big deal and can be ignored. Why is it ok for a perpetrator of such an awful crime to be placed in a very public and esteemed role? Another excuse for Tillman's behavior is that he was under the influence of medication at the time of his assault. This is yet another classic excuse, although it is usually alcohol that is presented as the drug at fault. This excuse does not carry through for other crimes. If Tillman was in a car accident while on the medications, his excuse could not have been that he was under the influence. For those familiar with sexual assault cases, it is a tried excuse which unfortunately works in many cases. The bottom line is, that unless Tillman goes above and beyond in raising awareness for sexual assault and proving that he has learned from his mistake, I would be embarrassed to say that I am from a city that condones such actions.