Former offensive lineman and RNation fan favourite Jon Gott signed a one-day contract on Friday to retire as a member of the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It just felt like the right time,” said Gott, who last suited up for the Redblacks in the 2018 regular season finale at TD Place. “I’m pretty pumped for this team going into 2022 and I’m proud to be able to officially retire in a city that means so much to me. To the fans in Ottawa, RNation, you are the best in the league. I’m proud of what we accomplished together. I had a blast and I’m thankful to have played for the Redblacks.”
The veteran of 10 CFL seasons and 145 games broke into the league with the Calgary Stampeders in 2009. The Edmonton native, who played college ball at Boise State, spent five seasons with the Stamps before being traded to the expansion Redblacks in exchange for the first-overall pick in the 2014 CFL Draft. He would go on to dress in all but seven games for Ottawa over the next five years as the centerpiece of an offensive line that would appear in the Grey Cup three times in four years, winning it all in 2016.
“Jon is an original Redblack with an original personality and he played a huge role in our early success” said President and CEO Mark Goudie. “Jon represented the Redblacks, RNation and our community with distinction and was the central figure in an iconic Redblacks moment, the first and only (legal) end-zone beer chug in CFL history.”
Gott’s official retirement follows that of fellow offensive lineman, friend and Redblacks teammate SirVincent Rogers, who signed a similar contract last week to retire with the club.