The verdict is in, Mayor Rob Ford is......

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer - @RussellPhotos

.....the coach of a pretty good high school football team.

Every year or so, well every year because of Toronto FC, we go to cover a game with the priority on covering the coach.

Raptors, Toronto FC, Leafs, Argonauts, we have trained our lenses on all their coaches, but until Thursday afternoon I couldn't recall a high school game when I had kept my lens on the coach as much.

The coach, of course, is Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. The mayor was coaching his team in the TDSSAA Senior Boys Metro Bowl Qualifier against Northern Secondary School.

Mayor Ford was in court in the morning defending a libel suit against him and on the field at Birchmount Stadium in the afternoon trying to take the next step to the Metro Bowl.

 

Mayor Rob Ford talks to Chris Fickel, a special assistant in his office and football team volunteer.

I can only guess what #36, Clinton Leonard's nickname might be. He wears a licence plate!

It might be a transit funding plan, but is most likely the game plan against Northern Secondary School.

Mayor Rob Ford stands with his team in warm-ups.

Don Bosco Eagles get fired up before kick off.

Sheerif Johnson is tackled and fumbles the ball on Northern's first possession.

Players search for the loose ball after Northern Sheerif Johnson fumbles the ball in the first half.

Mayor Rob Ford battles the sun as the  Don Bosco Eagles play Northern Secondary School in the TDSSAA Senior Boys Football Metro Bowl Qualifier.

Eagles quarterback Mihlique Marks is tackled by three defenders.

Mayor Rob Ford talks during a time out in the first half.

Game MVP Tyrane Miller outruns Terrelle Lewis-Vu.

The Don Bosco Eagles kick off after a touchdown in the first half.

Mayor Rob Ford celebrates a Don Bosco Eagles' touchdown in the first half.

With his team up 24-0 at the half, Mayor Rob talks to his team at halftime.

Eagles' Neko Hamilton sacks Northern's Andrew Hernandez in the third quarter.

Northern's Sheerif Johnson is tripped up as Don Bosco Eagles.

Mayor Rob Ford talks to Chris Fickel on the sideline.

Don Bosco quarterback Mahlique Marks makes a play to avoid a tackle.

Mayor Rob Ford celebrates the great play by Mahlique Marks.

Starting quarterback Mahlique Marks throws for a first down.

Mayor Rob Ford avoids being part of a tackle.

Neko Hamilton rushes for the end zone, he would come up just short.

Tyrane Miller protects the ball as he is tackled by Northern defenders late in the game.

Mayor Rob Ford watches the game and the day wind down.

Northern's Avijit Nath watches the final minute tick by. 

Mayor Rob Ford celebrates as Don Bosco Eagles beat the Northern Secondary School 31-0 in the TDSSAA Senior Boys Football Metro Bowl Qualifier at Birchmount Stadium.

Miles Drummond celebrates after Mayor Rob Ford was doused with Gatorade after the Don Bosco Eagles beat the Northern Secondary School.

Mayor Rob Ford is lifted to the shoulders of his ream after Don Bosco Eagles beat the Northern Secondary School 31-0.

 

More on photographing Mayor Rob Ford.

Comments

[Gelay Thondup]

Wonderful shots.

[Nalliah Thayabharan]

Mayor Rob Ford was convicted of "driving under the influence" in 1999, lied to the public and reporters about yelling drunken obscenities at a Maple Leafs game in 2006, has twice been charged with assault, and has history of name-calling at Toronto City Council.Though Mayor Rob Ford was ejected by a judge instead of the voters, Rob Ford's mayoralty was a streetcar wreck. Mayor Rob Ford fumbled the future of public transit. Rob Ford failed abysmally to exercise the powers of persuasion and compromise that every mayor needs to lead Toronto city council. Rob Ford's mayoral utterances were a string of simplistic slogans like his campaign statements. Mayor Rob Ford took aim at City of Toronto employees who dared to get in his way. Mayor Rob Ford failed utterly to understand the line between his personal interests and his role as the city’s chief elected official. Mayor Rob Ford called senior civil servants to his office to demand paving and other repairs outside his family business - DECO Labels. Mayor Rob Ford used publicly paid workers in his office to help coach his football team. Mayor Rob Ford called the head of the TTC about a TTC bus that was being dispatched to pick up his high school football team after an aborted game.
Mayor Rob Ford called 911 when a CBC comedian showed up on his driveway; who accosted a CBC reporter who was simply doing his job by checking out a property the mayor Rob Ford wanted to buy near his house; who wanted the city’s accountability officers reformed out of existence when some of them questioned his conduct or decisions.