Fan favourite Gott and his famous beard likely are moving on
Big boys do cry.
Jon Gott’s eyes watered and his voice trembled as he spoke to the Ottawa media on Tuesday for what almost certainly will be the last time in the home locker-room at TD Place.
“I didn’t think it would be this emotional,” said the 6-foot-3, 297-pound centre, who is one of just five original Redblacks still with the team. “But you build a lot of relationships here. It’s tough.”
No doubt.
Gott knows it’s time for him and his famous beard to move on.
After five seasons with the Stampeders, Gott was acquired by GM Marcel Desjardins for the first overall pick of the 2014 draft and lineman Marwan Hage. Until August, he had started 46 consecutive games for the Redblacks when healthy.
However, in need of improving the play of the line, the coaching staff made some changes — and Gott was a victim.
“At the start of the year I was starting, so I’m like, OK ... then I just got benched,” he said. “It was not fun. I was not happy about that. But you know what? I’ll be a pro and I’ll take it. I got my chance to play again, then got benched again. It was like, ‘Oh man, this again.’
“It is what it is sometimes. They make their decisions, and you just have to live with it ...”
As a soon-to-be free agent, Gott has made his own decision. Desjardins can save his breath if he plans on offering him a deal as a backup.
“I couldn’t do that,” he said. “I can still play at a high level. I couldn’t do that to myself. It wouldn’t be good.”
At 33, Gott still feels he has a few good years left.
“Well I can’t run a 4.40 again ... that’s probably the only thing,” he joked when asked if he feels his game has slipped. “You know what? The thing is as you get older, you become wiser, so you’re not killing yourself at times. You play smarter, not harder ...
“I don’t know if I lost anything. I’m a little more beat up, but that’s about it.”
Gott’s peers believe he still has gas in his tank.
“He’s the GOAT,” offensive tackle SirVincent Rogers said. “I know he’s still healthy enough to play at a high level. Talent-wise, he’s still in a good space.
“If he chooses to (leave), I know I’ll see him play well somewhere next year. He’s sacrificed so much for this organization, he’s laid in on the line. If he’s not back, I know it will be a disappointment for the fans, but there’s a business side we have to deal with.”
Gott didn’t even dress in the post-season. He did carry the team flag, however, when the Redblacks ran on to the field for the start of the Grey Cup.
It was a classy call, a display of respect for one of the faces of the franchise — certainly the furriest.
“That was all coach Rick (Campbell) right there,” Gott said of the gesture. “I thank him for that. He didn’t have to do that and he did that so ...”
There he stopped, choking up. His voice cracked again when asked to reflect on his time here.
“Five years from the start, it’s a lot,” Gott said. “From that first year, going 2-16, to what we’ve done now, three Grey Cup (visits), won one, but still, getting into the Grey Cup is pretty impressive.
“They did a great job. My hat’s off to OSEG, Marcel and Rick, they got this thing running right. It was a great time. I had a blast. These last five years, I couldn’t have asked for more. It’s been amazing. The fans, they’ve been great. I always have a great time with the fans. They embraced me from Day 1, and I’m gonna miss the fans.”
Gott was pleasantly surprised to find the situation he did when he arrived in Ottawa.
“I didn’t know what to expect coming here, and right from the start the fans just jumped on board ... man, it was a blast,” he said. “That first game we had when we won, against Toronto, it was crazy. I’ve never seen that in the CFL. I played five years before that, but for the fans to go that crazy, it was unbelievable. As the season went on, you could see something was going to be special here.”
Gott is as popular in the locker-room as he is with the fans.
“That would be a tough one,” Brad Sinopoli said when asked about Gott leaving. “I’ve known Jon since my rookie year so I’ve known him for a long time, been on a couple of really good teams with him.
“He’s a great guy. He’s done a lot for this organization, for a lot of people in this locker-room. We don’t know what’s going to happen, so it’s hard to say exactly, but obviously I love him as a teammate and as a guy. He’s a great person.”
In the next few days Gott and his girlfriend are moving to her hometown of Kelowna, B.C., but he plans to make Ottawa his home again some day. If something happens and the Redblacks find they need him as a starter, Gott would be happy to stay.
“When I come in every day, I just want to have fun,” he said. “I just want to be one of the regulars here, and make it a good time.”
EXTRA POINTS: Gott will always be remembered as the player who celebrated a touchdown by guzzling a beer and smashing the can over his helmet. It gained him fame with fans across the continent. “That was unexpected,” he said. “I didn’t think it was going to blow up like that. For that to happen, it was great. I’ve got guys across the league I was chatting about it, saying how great it was. It was cool.” Did he get any free beer out of it? “Can’t really say,” said Gott. “They told me I can’t really talk about it.” ... Quote of the day goes to Trevor Harris: “I’d like to finish my career here if I could, but I’m not one to tell God my plans ... he’ll just laugh at me.”