OTTAWA — Veteran offensive lineman Jon Gott signed a one-day contract with the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday to retire as a member of the CFL franchise.
"It just felt like the right time," said Gott, who last played for Ottawa in 2018. "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."
Gott spent 10 seasons in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders (2009-13) and Ottawa (2014-18). The Edmonton native was traded to Ottawa for the first pick of the '14 CFL draft.
Gott appeared in 145 career regular-season games and helped Ottawa win the 2016 Grey Cup. The six-foot-three, 297-pound Gott made headlines across North America in November, 2018 when he chugged a beer celebrating a touchdown in the Redblacks' regular-season finale at TD Place.
"Jon is an original Redblack with an original personality and he played a huge role in our early success” Ottawa president/CEO Mark Goudie said. "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."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2022.
The Canadian Press
