TORONTO

He lost most of his powers, almost all of his council allies and has been embroiled in an ongoing crack cocaine scandal — but Mayor Rob Ford seems to have the Hells Angels in his corner.

Ford had to explain Tuesday the photo of him with two Hells Angels members and a prospect at Sunday’s Buffalo Bills game after it was posted on the Hells Angels Toronto website.

But, in a statement issued to the Toronto Sun, the Hells Angels came to Ford’s defence saying the situation was “innocent” and lauding the embattled civic leader as “a mayor for all the people.”

Tracked down Tuesday night at the Air Canada Centre — where the Maple Leafs played the San Jose Sharks — Ford laughed about the endorsement.

“That’s funny,” he said, adding the trio in the picture seemed like “nice” guys.

“I take pictures with everybody and I enjoy meeting people,” he added. “I don’t check for a resume. We just have a good time.”

He took hundreds of photos at the Air Canada Centre again last night and said he’ll continue to oblige those who want to be photographed with him.

Earlier, at City Hall, the mayor said he doubted he could stop the bikers from posting the photo on their website. “What can I do?” he asked. “I wasn’t aware that I was taking a picture with a Hells Angel.”

In a statement to the Sun, Donny Petersen, of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club Downtown Toronto, acknowledged some members and a prospect had their picture taken with Ford at the football game.

“Our only comments are that for his various foibles and shortcomings, at least he is a mayor for all the people,” Peterson stated. “He will talk to any citizen of Toronto because he is their mayor.

“Others treat us like the plague even though we are taxpayers, have families, and children in our school system. Others say we are a criminal organization when a jury of our peers declared that we are not.”

Peterson argued that “with the corruption that exists at all levels of government in various parts of the country, it is refreshing that (Ford) is not corrupt.

“With taxes going up all the time, he is the one politician that does not have his hand in our pockets,” he stated. “The ‘little guy’ supports Mayor Ford because he will talk to them, not ignore them like the rest.”

He recognized that “some in the media are trying to get us to hurt the mayor.

“He is quite capable of hurting or helping himself,” Peterson said. “We are not trying to embarrass anyone nor extort, nor sell a picture.

“The situation was innocent and he was doing his job, meeting his constituents.”

Ford has been under fire for months due to his repeated denial and then sudden admission that he smoked crack cocaine.

It isn’t the first time a Toronto mayor has had a run-in with the Hells Angels.

Back in 2002, former mayor Mel Lastman drew criticism when he shook the hand of a Hells member.

Then-councillor Rob Ford was critical of the friendly photo-op and predicted the incident would hurt Lastman in the long run.

“I’m sure he does it purposely,” Ford said about Lastman at the time. “What else could it be? You can’t be that dumb.”

—With files from Joe Warmington