LAST POST ABOUT LLOYD EISLER

Well, the Toronto Star reported this morning (relying on the familiar sources close to the investigation) that the reason that figure skating's apparent answer to Sir Galahad, Lloyd Eisler, was suspended from coaching in Canada due to "sexually suggestive emails" that he sent to a 15-year-old female skater.

Eisler is 43, so that would violate the sacred "half your age plus seven" rule, if what the Star's unnamed sources say is indeed true.

Speaking for many of us, no doubt: Ewwwwww. Now, not to let ol' Lloyd, the last of the romantics, off the hook here, but you shouldn't be surprised at all that these kind of allegations -- and they are just that, allegations -- would surface. There's plenty of male coaches crossing the line with teenaged girls and young women in all sports. It's not just one guy.

Plus, figure skating is rife with that vaguely disturbing "little girls in pretty boxes" mentality, where girls who have barely hit puberty are often told by judges and coaches, of both genders, that they need to have more "slink" (i.e., sex appeal) if they're going to get better marks. It's all very icky and Humbert Humbert-esque, but apparently if you're part of the skating crowd, you learn that it's all very healthy and normal. Yeah, right.

You can understand why some parents direct their athletic daughters into sports where they aren't as sexualized from such a tender age. (Which isn't to say that female athletes aren't sexualized, whatever sport they pursue.)

Eisler issued a statement that said he's not going to appeal the suspension, but he's going to fight it. Huh? It reads, in part, "For the sake of all involved, and my family, I do not intend to discuss the situation further."

Which family, Lloyd? The one you're starting with Kristy Swanson, or the one you started in Kingston with Marcia O'Brien and then deserted?

Lloyd Eisler is officially on the "dead to me" list. Put him on the board.

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