OTTAWA – After receiving feedback on the naming of the Ottawa REDBLACKS mascot, the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) announced today that the mascot’s official name will be “Big Joe” in English and “Grand Jos” in French.
“We unintentionally offended some with the original name and we sincerely apologize for that,” said Jeff Hunt, President of Sports with OSEG. “We hope to create a fan base that is unified in its support for the REDBLACKS and we will continue to strive to do our best in that regard.”
After a poll of fans, OSEG named its mascot after a fictional lumberjack character developed by the late Ottawa Valley storyteller Bernie Bedore and made famous in a song by Stompin’ Tom Connors. The character was inspired by Joseph Montferrand, a real life Outaouais logger and defender of Francophone rights in the 1800s.
OSEG will continue to seek opportunities to welcome Francophone football fans from Gatineau and Eastern Ontario and engage the Francophone community with visits to schools by players and the mascot, holding football clinics with various minor football organizations, and staging quarterback club” functions throughout the region.
