CALGARY — A former Calgary Stampeders running back who filmed himself having sex with a woman without her permission offered a tearful apology at his sentencing hearing Thursday. But Jerome Messam, 37, also expressed some anger in his 10-minute speech about how he has been portrayed and what the court case has done to his life. “I just want to be able to move on. I see my friends on TSN talking about football … and I’m like, ‘man, that could have been me,’” he told the court. “I see this all happened at a time when there was so much nuance and all these MeToo (movements) and all that stuff. I was just thrown to the wolves. No due justice, no due process.” Messam pleaded guilty earlier this year to the spying charge. The court heard Messam and the woman followed each other on social media while he was playing for the Canadian Football League team. On November 11, 2016, they had dinner together and then had consensual sex at Messam’s apartment. Three months later, Messam sent the woman four 10-second video clips of their sexual encounter on the social media platform Snapchat, which deletes the videos after they are played. The woman filed a formal complaint with police and the CFL in April 2018. Messam had his contract with the Saskatchewan Roughriders terminated after being charged in July 2019. In a tearful victim impact statement last month, the woman said she has considered ending her life, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has moved away from Calgary. Messam said he regrets any harm his actions caused. “I never intended for any of this to happen … nor did I know the level of pain the situation caused her,” he told the court. “I’m proud of what I’ve done on the football field. It sucks that my career was cut short. I made a bad choice. Do I feel like the punishment fits the crime? No. I lost everything in 48 hours.” Prosecutor Janice Walsh said jail was not appropriate. It recommended a suspended sentence of 18 to 24 months, which would have given him a criminal record, followed by probation. “I’m not asking the court to find that Mr. Messam’s pattern of events is near the extreme end of the spectrum, but neither is it a mere observation nor is it at the conditional discharge end of the spectrum,” Walsh said. “This falls somewhere in that middle range of penalties, requiring a criminal conviction but not requiring a prison sentence, either in the community or in actual prison.” Walsh dismissed suggestions the media attention Messam received after his charge and the loss of his CFL career should be factors in the sentencing. “The CFL has its own conduct policy. The CFL has exercised its discretion,” Walsh said. “In terms of media attention, it is inevitable and inextricably linked to Mr Messam’s profile and previous position as a member of a professional football team.” David Nguyen, Messam’s defense attorney, asked for a conditional discharge, which would clear him of a criminal record. “This case involves only two parties, namely the complainant and Mr. Messam,” Nguyen said. “As far as the matter is concerned, there was no distribution, no deletion of the files and no attempt to capitalize or extort or use for financial gain.” Nguyen said Messam has no prior criminal record and the caution was a deterrent. He said his client works with young children, their parents and other adults providing physical education. “Right now, he’s operating without a criminal record and working without a criminal record,” he said. “This court should consider the effects of a criminal record on his future employment and provision of services for himself and his family.” Messam also asked the judge to consider parole. “I just want to say that I pray, ma’am, that you see the big picture and know that my rehabilitation would be greatly affected by this record.” The judge is scheduled to rule on December 5. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 10, 2022.
