The Crown has opted to proceed on a less serious track as it pursues a sexual assault case against former B.C. Lions general manager and current Saskatchewan Roughriders GM Eric Tillman.
Tillman's first appearance Tuesday in Regina provincial court lasted less than a minute. He did not even appear himself, but was represented by his lawyer, Aaron Fox.
Prosecutor Mitch Crumley told court the Crown will proceed summarily against Tillman, meaning that the sexual assault charge is considered a lesser offence.
A summary conviction for sexual assault carries a maximum sentence of 18 months in jail, while an indictable sexual assault conviction carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
The next court date was set for March 17.
Tillman, who achieved hero status in Saskatchewan after leading the CFL Roughriders to a Grey Cup in 2007, was charged with sexual assault last month for an alleged encounter that took place last August. The complainant in the case was 16 years old at the time.
In a news conference called by Tillman and Fox on Feb. 3, the lawyer suggested there could be developments in the case before Tuesday's court date, but nothing has happened publicly.
Fox declined to comment to a large crowd of reporters gathered for Tuesday's hearing.
Senior Crown lawyer Bill Burge will be prosecuting Tillman. Burge previously prosecuted the aggravated sexual assault trial of former Saskatchewan Roughrider Trevis Smith.
Tillman, a married father of two, was placed on paid administrative leave by the Riders when news of the charge broke.
The team's senior football operations staff, led by head coach Ken Miller, has been negotiating player contracts since then.
Tillman, 51, joined the Riders in August 2006, replacing the longtime GM Roy Shivers. In the off-season, Tillman hired former Saskatchewan quarterback Kent Austin as head coach then proceeded to shave more than $600,000 from the club's payroll to reach the league-mandated salary cap.
Great success in B.C.
Tillman has enjoyed great success in the CFL as a general manager. He led the B.C. Lions and Toronto Argonauts to Grey Cup titles in 1994 and 1997, respectively, and has worked as a television analyst with TSN and Sportsnet.
He began his football career in 1981 when he joined the public relations department of the NFL's Houston Oilers. He first came to Canada in 1982 as the player-personnel director of the Montreal Concordes. Tillman returned to the U.S. in 1984 when he became executive director of the Senior Bowl, which annually attracts the top draft-eligible NFL prospects.
Tillman returned to the CFL in 1993 when he became general manager of a B.C. Lions team that had posted a 3-15 record the year before. However, B.C. won the 1994 Grey Cup, downing the Baltimore Stallions 26-23 at B.C. Place.
With files from The Canadian Press
