Argos

Friday, November 15, 2013

Friday, November 15, 2013By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday, November 15, 2013

Rob Ford’s comments ‘disappointing’ to Toronto Argonauts

The ongoing saga involving Toronto Mayor Rob Ford spilled over its political banks into the sports world on Thursday.

After his contentious showdown with council on Wednesday, Ford chose to switch up his workday wardrobe Thursday and wore his Toronto Argonauts sweater, complete with “Mayor Ford” on the nameplate and the No. 12, the year the Argos hosted and won the Grey Cup.

But while wearing the sweater to promote this weekend’s CFL East final against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Ford made comments on media reports coming from the second round of revelations coming from Toronto Police’s Information To Obtain document. More portions of the document, which were filed as part of the case against Ford’s friend and driver Alexander Lisi, were released by the courts on Wednesday night. Ford’s comments included a profane response to allegations he made sexually explicit comments to a former female staffer, for which he later apologized.

With the Argos preparing on the field Thursday afternoon, preparing for the East Division final — a game against their historic rivals, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats — the team’s media relations officials were pacing the sidelines, tied to their mobile telephones. Questions flooded in from all manners of outlets, but not many relating to football.

The team released a statement expressing their displeasure at being dragged into the the Mayor’s theatre of the absurd.

At the end of Ford’s comments, in which he said he would take legal action against former staffers for their statements made to police, Ford dropped in an Argos game promotion before returning to his dismissal of the information in the ITO.

“And the next thing, I wanna call Mayor [Bob] Bratina in Hamilton and tell him we’re going to spank their little Tiger-Cats.” (Source: National Post)

Friday, November 15, 2013This is the local version of the same cartoon.

 SOCIAL MEDIA

Both versions of this cartoon attracted quite a few likes, shares and comments on Facebook here, and here. It was also mentioned in a piece written in The Toronto Star, Friday, November 15, 2013 by Tech Reporter Raju Mudhar

Tuesday November 27, 2012

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Tuesday November 27, 2012

Argos Rise, Ford Falls

Argo fans and Rob Ford detractors celebrate in Toronto

So you thought the Argos winning the 100th Grey Cup at home was just a little too incredible to believe? Well, the storyline gets better, courtesy of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.

He is an individual who loves football but could be about to get sacked from his job barring the equivalent of a video replay overturning a decision to punt him out of office.

On Monday, Ford, the burly one-time high school centre who still looks the part, was relieved of his mayoralty duties after a judge ruled he broke a Municipal Conflict of Interest Act by taking $3,150 from lobbyists to help fund his private football foundation. Ford was unrepentant in what he had done, both in refusing to abstain from voting on a report by an integrity commissioner to pay back the money and by refusing to admit any wrongdoing in court.

One politician who unsuccessfully ran against him for mayor called the judge’s decision a “touchdown for accountability.”

Ford will be given 14 days to stay on the job and plans to appeal.

But it could be two-and-out for Ford – as in two years on the job with another two still to go had he made it that far.

On Tuesday, Ford will participate in the victory parade for the Argos, who beat the Calgary Stampeders 35-22 at the Rogers Centre on Sunday. The parade will wind through the business section of Toronto and end up at the civic square, where Ford will proclaim November 27, 2012 Toronto Argonauts’ Day. (Source: Sportsbet.ca)