Ex-Toronto mayor Ford appointed to Hall board
Former Toronto mayor Rob Ford (right) is on the Hockey Hall of Fame board of directors now. (Getty Images)
From the department of totally out of left field, can’t be real, but shockingly is… Former Toronto mayor Rob Ford has been appointed to the board of directors of the Hockey Hall of Fame according to the Canadian Press. Ford, who now serves on the Toronto city council, is one of three city councillors appointed to the board.
Museum spokesman Kelly Masse says that Ford was elected to the board for the first time at a member’s meeting on March 25.
Masse says Ford won’t be on the committee that selects inductees to the Hall of Fame.
Ford, as you may recall, rose to infamy over a scandal surrounding a video purporting to show him using crack cocaine. The former mayor eventually admitted to using the drug while in office. The scandal led the mayor down a series of public embarrassments, one after the other. He quickly became low-hanging fruit for late night comedy shows and internet memes by the hundreds.
The former mayor dropped a bid for reelection in September citing health concerns. He is set to undergo surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his abdomen in May according to the CP.
Here’s what ford had to say regarding his appointment via the Canadian Press:
“When people call me they know they’re getting someone that’s experienced,” he said. “I’ve got season tickets to the Leafs and I’m obsessed with hockey and obviously football but hockey’s my number one sport and I’m going to try to just keep pushing it.”
Ford said he had already had his first meeting with the board and is in the process of being sworn in along with his fellow councillors.
“Some people like the prestige of it, I like the action. I like rolling up my sleeves and showing up to meetings and getting it done,” he said. “What I don’t like is when people sign up and want to go to these boards and commissions and they don’t show up.”
Considering Ford’s sordid past, which includes him reportedly getting kicked out of a Maple Leafs game in 2006 for causing a ruckus while intoxicated, it’s hard to imagine he was the best of the available choices.
Apparently it is the city council who gets final say on this as they have three individuals to appoint to the board. This is an embarrassing moment for the Hockey Hall of Fame, which has had its share of controversy like the too-late admission of head coach Pat Burns and other snubs for inclusion along the way. This is a most bizarre twist, however.
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