Ottawa proud: Original REDBLACK transitions from football to foot patrol

Former Ottawa REDBLACKS star Jon Gott is sporting a leaner, cleaner-cut look these days, but his new off-field passion isn’t far removed from the approach he carried during his playing days. 

Gott now patrols the streets as an Ottawa Police Service constable, protecting the city’s population against the rush of ever-changing duties. 

During his 10-year Canadian Football League career, including five seasons serving as an offensive centre smack dab in the middle of the REDBLACKS' offence, he was charged with guarding his quarterbacks and running backs against the tide of on-rushing opponents. 

“Each call is different,” Gott told CAA Magazine, while sitting down for a recent interview about his new job, at his former football home at Ottawa’s TD Place. “You don’t know where you’re going (on a call), so you’ve got to be able to think on the fly.” 

Gott says serving on the front lines of the community has many similarities with performing on the offensive line in front of 20,000-25,000 fans at a stadium every week. That includes understanding and recognizing the value of teamwork. 

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“It is just like football playing out on the field,” he said. “You have to count on your partners in policing to have your back on everything. It’s just like on the football field. You need your teammates right beside you. You’ve got to trust them. And yeah, you have to have a lot of structure and discipline, because with shift work, you have these set times that you have to be here.” 

Gott does, however, cut a somewhat different figure from his poster days with the REDBLACKS. 

A REDBLACKS original, acquired in a trade from the Calgary Stampeders on CFL draft day in 2014, he generally weighed in at just under 300 pounds. 

Gott, who was instrumental in the growth of the REDBLACKS from a struggling expansion team into a club that went to the Grey Cup three times in four seasons — including the spellbinding overtime victory in 2016 — needed the bulk on his 6-3 frame in order to defend against attacking defenders. 

He was an East Division all-star in both 2015 and 2016 and was named the most outstanding offensive lineman in the East in 2016. 

Nowadays, though, while working the streets, he’s down about 50 pounds.  

And then there’s the ZZ Top-esque beard. Or lack thereof.  

During his playing days, Gott was notable for his scraggly facial hair, the look of a warrior in the midst of a fierce battle. 

The signature moment of that image came during the final regular-season game against the Toronto Argonauts in 2018. Recognizing that it was probably his last game, Gott pre-planned a unique touchdown celebration with his girlfriend, Nicole Hilstob. 

When the time was right, following a third-quarter touchdown, Gott raced towards the end zone seats, grabbed a beer from Hilstob, chugged it and crushed the can over his helmet. 

The colourful gesture then went viral, turning Gott into a sensation across the North American sports world for days. 

ESPN tweeted the video with the following caption: “They celebrate TDs a little differently in the Canadian Football League.” 

Serving the public now, though, calls for a different look. 

“It’s a physical career,” he said. “You have to stay in pretty good shape.” 

Even with his clean-shaven face and the slimmer physique, Gott acknowledges that there are some double takes when people in the city remember his sporting past while he is on duty in his new career. 

“It’s funny, because lately I’m getting recognized more and more and I’m out on the road,” he said. “So, it’s nice. It’s good to chat with fans that way, or just (people in) the community. It’s a great partnership, because the REDBLACKS are bringing a ton of fans, and for the police, just to be out here, talking to the community and building that relationship. It’s huge for policing to have that. It’s a great opportunity for the Ottawa Police Service.” 

An Edmonton native, Gott moved to Kelowna, B.C., after his playing days with the REDBLACKS came to an end. He helped coach the Okanagan Sun, a junior football team, to a national title. 

Yet the call to return to Ottawa was strong. He signed a one-day contract in 2022 to officially retire in REDBLACKS colours and was named to the club’s “all-decade team” in 2024, a group that also includes fellow fan favourites Henry Burris, Greg Ellingson, Brad Sinopoli, Antoine Primeau, Lewis Ward and DeVonte Dedman. 

Now, he feels fortunate to be living out a dream career, for the second time. 

“Ever since I was growing up, I wanted to be a police officer,” said Gott. “And if football didn’t work out, I was going to go that course a lot quicker.” 

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