EDMONTON - The floundering Edmonton Eskimos are looking to a controversial figure to turn the team around.

The CFL club officially hired Eric Tillman as their new general manager Tuesday.

Tillman has won Grey Cups with three different teams, the last being the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2007.

But he resigned from the Riders in January after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting his 16-year-old babysitter in August 2008. Tillman was given an absolute discharge, so he does not have a criminal record.

The Eskimos' decision to bring him in as been a controversial one.

"I understand it was a very challenging and complicated decision and one that (president Rick LeLacheur) did not take lightly," Tillman said at a news conference. "We spent hours, literally hours, talking about my background, my belief system, but he didn't just listen to me. He talked to people that knew me well and I think he would tell you that some of strongest advocates were the people that know me the best, people that know me by my character, not by my reputation."

Tillman, 52, said LeLacheur hired him because he believes the former Roughriders GM can revive the team.

"He wanted to win and I think he believed that I could help make a difference, combined with a lot of other people," said Tillman, whose wife Francine joined him at the news conference. "But he had to have a complete comfort level.

"He made it very clear what's expected, what the mandate is, that there is a second chance, there will be no third chance."

LeLacheur called it a "tough and difficult call."

"Do I believe this community believes in giving people a second chance? Yes I do and I've seen it," he said. "Do I believe that Eric Tillman deserves that chance? Yes I do. Will people in this community give him that chance? We're asking them to. And Eric is committed to doing everything possible to earn their support."

The Eskimos had been looking for a new general manager since LeLacheur fired Danny Maciocia six weeks ago when the Green and Gold limped out of the gate to a 1-4 start.

Tillman said one of his first calls after learning he had the job was to Maciocia.

LeLacheur had planned to take months to find the next general manager.

That timetable changed when the 2-8 Eskimos were blown out twice recently by the Calgary Stampeders.

"I'm very happy to be here," said Tillman. "I'm very appreciative of the opportunity. I feel very blessed. Not just to be back in the Canadian Football League but to be in a place like Edmonton where winning matters so much."

Tillman's first order of business will be to evaluate head coach Richie Hall. The former Saskatchewan defensive co-ordinator posted a 9-9 record in his first season as a CFL head coach in 2009. He added the defensive co-ordinator's job this season and has seen his team struggle mightily in his sophomore campaign.

Tillman has also worked as a football analyst with TSN and Rogers Sportsnet. He broke into the CFL in 1982 working in the personnel department of the Montreal Concordes before becoming the executive director of the Senior Bowl in 1984.

He remained there for eight years before taking his first CFL general manager's job with the B.C. Lions in 1993. He left B.C. to become executive director of NFL Europe in 1995 before returning to Canada in 1997, this time as GM of the Toronto Argonauts.

Tillman was then named GM of the expansion Ottawa Renegades in 2002, a job he held until 2004 before being named GM of the Riders in 2007.

Tillman won Grey Cups as a GM with B.C. (1994), Toronto (1997) and Saskatchewan (2007).

He did a masterful job of transforming the Riders into a CFL championship team. Upon becoming GM, he was forced to shave hundreds of thousands of dollars from its payroll to get the club under the salary cap. He also raised some eyebrows by hiring former Saskatchewan quarterback Kent Austin as head coach.

Austin guided the Riders to the '07 Grey Cup, only the club's third in its history.

Tillman also made key signings in defensive end Stevie Baggs and receivers Weston Dressler and Rob Bagg while bringing back veteran defensive back Omarr Morgan to the club.