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Former Canadian Football League star Mike “Pinball” Clemons told Ontario’s Progressive Conservative convention that the party has to embrace liberals.

“Real respect means this party has to make room for liberals,” said Clemons, who explained that leaders represent everyone and must respect all viewpoints.

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“It’s not a power play, it’s a people play,” he told the 1,600 Tory delegates gathered in downtown Ottawa for three days of strategy talks.

The Clemons appearance was billed as an official endorsement of new Leader Patrick Brown and the Progressive Conservative party.

But during his 45-minute presentation – a mix of locker-room pep talk and religious revival – Clemons neither talked about Brown, nor why he’s endorsing the party. At one point, a party official assured reporters that Clemons was, in fact, endorsing the party and that he wasn’t being paid for his appearance.

Photo by Craig Robertson / Postmedia

Clemons, who became an official Canadian citizen last year, left immediately after his speech and didn’t meet with reporters.