Tillman Dumped By Eskimos

 Eric Tillman’s time in Edmonton has come to an abrupt end.

The Edmonton Eskimos sent out a press release on Saturday afternoon saying that they’d decided to part ways with their general manager, effective immediately.

“I have spent considerable time looking at the future direction of this club and did not see Eric as a part of this team moving forward,” Eskimos CEO and president Len Rhodes said in the press release.
“We will begin our search for a new general manager immediately and hope to have a successor in place by the end of the calendar year.”

Tillman joined the Eskimos in September of 2010. He rebuilt the team in 2011, hiring head coach Kavis Reed and watched as the team put together an 11-7 season in the Canadian Football League.
On Dec. 12, 2011, Tillman traded veteran quarterback Ricky Ray to the Toronto Argonauts for quarterback Steven Jyles, kicker Grant Shaw and a first-round pick in the 2012 CFL draft. The move was highly criticized in the months that followed, as Jyles struggled as a starter. Backup quarterback Kerry Joseph officially took over starting duties on Oct. 5, but at 39-years old, doesn’t provide the long-term plan at the position that Tillman pointed to in the wake of the trade.

Matt Nichols, 25, moved into the backup role when Joseph was named the starter, but has only played two full games this year.

The Eskimos squeaked into the playoffs on Thursday night thanks to the Argonauts’ win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Edmonton finished the season with a 7-11 record, after dropping a 30-27 decision to the Calgary Stampeders. The Eskimos’ regular-season was complete for less than 24 hours when Tillman was fired.

(Edmonton Journal)

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The Edmonton Sun's Terry Jones has not been a Tillman supporter since the Ricky Ray trade was made. Jones writes this story on the dismissal of Tillman with some interesting statements being made,