Rob Ford’s wild night at the ACC: a four-point recap
Anyone fortunate enough to have ignored the news over the weekend missed a sad—albeit unsurprising—story on Sunday. No, not Mickey Rooney. Rob Ford. The mayor made an appearance at Saturday night’s Leafs game, and things, as they have tended to do lately, got out of hand.
Here’s the short version, for your Monday catch-up edification.
1) He was denied special treatment
According to the Star, Ford’s companion during the game, councillor Frank DiGiorgio, says the trouble started when the mayor was denied access to the ACC’s Directors’ Lounge, an exclusive party room he and his friend Sandro Lisi, who has since been charged with drug dealing and extortion, had been admitted to at least once before.
The mayor didn’t take the slight gracefully. Observers say he became irate, because he believed he was being punished for voting against a $10 million city loan to Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment for the expansion of BMO field.
2) He stormed off
What happened next isn’t exactly clear, but it seems as though the mayor had some kind of encounter with ACC security. According to the Star, he wasn’t outright asked to leave, but did receive a warning. Nobody but Ford knows whether alcohol was a factor. Later that night, NOW Magazine’s Jonathan Goldsbie saw the lights on in the mayor’s office. According to Goldsbie, the mayor left city hall in a cab, a little after midnight.
3) He went to a club
After Ford left city hall, Instagram and Twitter users began posting pictures of him at Muzik, a nightclub he’s been spotted at on other occasions. It’s not clear what he did while he was there, but one Twitter user who claims to have been in the club that night says the mayor’s visit was brief.
4) MLSE says he was out of line
As for the Directors’ Lounge denial that set this whole chain of events in motion, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment is saying it had nothing to do with the mayor’s BMO Field vote. According to the Star, MLSE officials claim there was a private party happening in the lounge, and that the room was at capacity.
Bonus: a video of Rob Ford proudly proclaiming that he hasn’t had an incident at the Air Canada Centre since 2006:
Well, it was a good run.
NEVER MISS A TORONTO LIFE STORY
Sign up for This City, our free newsletter about everything that matters right now in Toronto politics, sports, business, culture, society and more.
