Eric Tillman, the general manager of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, was given an absolute discharge Tuesday morning after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting his children’s teen babysitter. An absolute discharge means that he will have no criminal record, and will not be on probation.
Tillman first pleaded not-guilty of sexual assault after the charges were brought up in February 2009, but changed his plea to guilty before the trial began. During the last year, while Tillman maintained his innocence and was paid a salary by the Roughriders to work from home, the young girl faced scrutiny over her allegations.
The court heard how Tillman came up behind his then 16-year-old babysitter as she bent over to feed one of his kids, put his arms around her, and pulled her towards him. His defense is that he was heavily medicated at the time, blaming a mix of sleep aids and pain medication. The Judge in the case said that he believed he was sorry for his behaviour, and accepted that Tillman was under the influence of a mixture of drugs he was taking for a sore back.
Tillman announced has stepped down from the team; his resignation was accepted today.
Tags: eric tillman, sexual assault
