Riders release Messam

[Belize City Lion]

https://www.tsn.ca/roughriders-release- ... -1.1150458

[Belize City Lion]

I wonder if this was the reason Messam seem to be under used in the Rider offence? Jones was preparing for life after Messam?

[Belize City Lion]

The CFL needs to have some sort of disclosure policy. Now, we don't know if the Stampeders were aware of any complaint against Messam in 2016. In fact we don't know when the complaint against Messam was made (the victim could have waited to make a complaint). But, it did seem odd to me that the Stamps were not interested re-signing Messam at the end of last season. So maybe they knew this was coming?

Then look at the debacle with Euclid Cummings. He was charged in April 2017 for an incident that happened in October 2016. The Lions signed him in February 2018. So neither the Eskimos nor Blue Bombers knew Cummings was under investigation? OK, maybe the Eskimos did not considering Hervey signed Cummings in Edmonton just 2 months before he was charged and then signed him again in BC in 2018. But once charges were laid in 2017, his team never got wind of it? At the very least, Cummings himself knew he had been charged and did not disclose that to the LIons before signing as a free agent.

[Rammer]

Messam was pointed in this direction since he was released by the Lions. Too bad he couldn't find the straight and narrow path, just such a talent waste.

This does add to the football pile of talent waste, it just seems to happen in football more so than other sports.

[squishy35]

I wonder if this was the reason Messam seem to be under used in the Rider offence? Jones was preparing for life after Messam?

According to 3downnation.com it was a voyeurism charge.

[CardiacKid]

The CFL needs to have some sort of disclosure policy. Now, we don't know if the Stampeders were aware of any complaint against Messam in 2016. In fact we don't know when the complaint against Messam was made (the victim could have waited to make a complaint). But, it did seem odd to me that the Stamps were not interested re-signing Messam at the end of last season. So maybe they knew this was coming?

Then look at the debacle with Euclid Cummings. He was charged in April 2017 for an incident that happened in October 2016. The Lions signed him in February 2018. So neither the Eskimos nor Blue Bombers knew Cummings was under investigation? OK, maybe the Eskimos did not considering Hervey signed Cummings in Edmonton just 2 months before he was charged and then signed him again in BC in 2018. But once charges were laid in 2017, his team never got wind of it? At the very least, Cummings himself knew he had been charged and did not disclose that to the LIons before signing as a free agent.

This incident certainly raises a lot of questions, particularly around the question of who knew what and when. I hope the CFL will be able to address what transpired over this 2 year gap.

[TheLionKing]

At the age of 33 years, could this be the end of his career ? Doubt any team would be interested considering his shady past.

[DanoT]

At the age of 33 years, could this be the end of his career ? Doubt any team would be interested considering his shady past.

The CFL has announced that a Messam contract with another team will not be approved, so yes this is the end of his career.

There always was a sort of dark side to Messam but I thought that with age he had gained maturity and some wisdom but I may have been wrong.

[Belize City Lion]

At the age of 33 years, could this be the end of his career ? Doubt any team would be interested considering his shady past.

The CFL has announced that a Messam contract with another team will not be approved, so yes this is the end of his career.

There always was a sort of dark side to Messam but I thought that with age he had gained maturity and some wisdom but I may have been wrong.

Well unless he got a speedy trial and is found not guilty. But he's probably looking at anywhere between 6-18 months before he goes to trial. So even if he is acquitted it's highly unlikely that any team is going to offer a him a contract at 34 or 35. So yeah, he's done.

[CardiacKid]

At the age of 33 years, could this be the end of his career ? Doubt any team would be interested considering his shady past.

The CFL has announced that a Messam contract with another team will not be approved, so yes this is the end of his career.

There always was a sort of dark side to Messam but I thought that with age he had gained maturity and some wisdom but I may have been wrong.

Well unless he got a speedy trial and is found not guilty. But he's probably looking at anywhere between 6-18 months before he goes to trial. So even if he is acquitted it's highly unlikely that any team is going to offer a him a contract at 34 or 35. So yeah, he's done.

Unfortunately he has made a few “poor life choices” over the years but did seem fully aware of how his previous foolishness just about jeopardized his career. Now he is looking at having his future livelihood put at risk.

I certainly hope neither the Stampeders or Roughriders chose to ignore or delay performing the appropriate action IF they were aware of the charges.

[WestCoastJoe]

Voyeurism, according to the report.

Allegedly video-taping an intimate encounter without the other person's knowledge or consent.

He just could not stay on a reputable path. His football days were drawing to a close anyway, but this is just a horrible way to go into football retirement. Sad to say, his life is going to be very, very difficult from here on. He had a lot of support from the football community. That is going to be greatly diminished.

Innocent until proven guilty. And yet Jerome Messam has long walked dangerous paths.

[B.C.FAN]

A few details have arised about the timing of the police complaint and the charge, according to Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post.

Messam was signed by Saskatchewan on Feb. 14.

The complaint was made to police in Calgary two months later and the charge was laid Sunday, so there was no way that either the Stamps or Riders could have known about it at the time.

Rob Vanstone: Jerome Messam situation creates another rough day for Saskatchewan Roughriders

[Ballistic Bob]

If he is found not guilty could he find his way back to the CFL. I thought we r all innocent until proven guilty. A little to soon rush to judgement IMO. BB

[Belize City Lion]

The more I look into this situation the harder I find it to believe that the Calgary Stampeders didn't not know something about it. Messam puts together back to back 1,000+ yard seasons, is Canadian of the year in 2016 and Most Valuable Canadian in Grey Cup 2017. And Calgary is not interested in re-signing him?

When Messam bolted from the locker room as soon as the 2017 Grey Cup was over, was that a guy stinging from a heartbreaking loss, or a guy who knew his world may soon implode and had already been informed that he had played his last game as a Stampeder?

The alleged incident happened in November 2016 and but was not reported until April 2018. Nothing strange about that. The victim likely was not aware of the recording for quite a while after it was allegedly made. But WHEN did she become aware that a recording existed? What action did she take initially. It would not surprise me to find out that it was Messam himself who eventually told the victim about the existence of the recording. As in "I got you on tape having sex with me and if you don't do XYZ I'm going to put it on the internet". AKA, revenge porn. Classic shaming.

It would not be unusual for her to try and deal with this matter without involving the police. Going to the cops means she would risk having her life dragged into the spotlight. People love to blame the victim when a sex scandal occurs. God forbid someone leaks the tape. So if you wanted to neutralize someone who was trying to threaten you by exposing your sex tape, but didn't want to risk publicity from going to the cops, what would you do? Tell his girlfriend or tell his boss! The smarter move of those two when you are dealing with a celebrity is to tell the boss. The Stampeders would share your desire to keep things quiet. There is no telling what the girlfriend might do.

Huff and the Stamps will be saved because the complaint was not official made to police until after Messam had left the organization. But like I said, I find it hard to believe that nobody in Stampeders management did not know this was coming, nor can I believe there is not some sort of whisper network in the CFL. I don't even doubt that Chris Jones knew about this and signed Messam anyway taking a chance that charges may never be laid.

[Toppy Vann]

In Canada, section 11(d) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states: "Any person charged with an offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law in a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal".

http://criminalnotebook.ca/index.php/Pr ... ite_note-2

The presumption of innocence is said to be a "hallowed principle lying at the very heart of criminal law".

The purpose of the presumption is to protect fundamental liberty and human dignity of the accused.[2] The person faces "grave social and personal consequences" from the law and so needs protection.

Criminal Code of Canada

Presumption of innocence
6. (1) Where an enactment creates an offence and authorizes a punishment to be imposed in respect of that offence,

(a) a person shall be deemed not to be guilty of the offence until he is convicted or discharged under section 730 of the offence; and
(b) a person who is convicted or discharged under section 730 of the offence is not liable to any punishment in respect thereof other than the punishment prescribed by this Act or by the enactment that creates the offence.

We are really heading quickly down the slippery slope where the "presumption of innocence" will be long gone when it comes to anything with sex in it.

This is an alleged TAPING - not a sexual assault. IF he had been captured raping or assaulting - that's one thing.

Think about if it happened to YOU and immediately you lose your job and way to make a living and the charge may not even hold.

This a disputed allegation it seems.

All this 'who knew what, when' is bogus as this is a matter that has a resolution outside the workplace and the CFL should not be taking this action now. There is no danger or risk to others from this (unless you're with the guy naked doing a sex act and he's filming lol).

http://3downnation.com/2018/07/30/rider ... al-charge/