TORONTO

Moments after Mayor Rob Ford was filmed swearing and acting erratically in front of City Hall, he was returning calls to residents, according to Councillor Doug Ford.

The mayor’s brother and campaign manager revealed Tuesday that he had spoken to the cab driver who picked up the mayor just after the Saturday night video was filmed.

“He said your brother didn’t seem drunk to me, he was returning phone calls in the back of my taxi,” Ford said. “And when he swore, it was because someone jumped in front of the taxi. That’s what I heard from the taxi driver.”

“(The driver) called us and said, ‘Hey, this is blown way out of proportion.’”

The Etobicoke North (Ward 2) councillor said he didn’t know where the mayor went in the taxi or who was with him that night.

“I guess he was going home, I’m not too sure,” he said.

In the video aired by CTV News on Sunday night, Mayor Ford is shown wearing green beads, looking red-faced and acting erratically. He approaches a cab and then can be heard shouting “f---ing idiot!”

Mayor Ford has yet to explain the video or clarify whether or was drinking again. After admitting he smoked crack while in a drunken stupor, the civic leader last November swore off drinking.

He admitted to having a “minor setback” with his drinking in January after an embarrassing video was posted online.

The mayor refused to answer questions about the latest video on Tuesday.

He was spotted touring a vacant councillor office used by the mayor’s office at City Hall. Minutes later, he emerged carrying a football jersey and a fake foot — a leftover Halloween decoration.

“You guys missing a foot?” Ford asked reporters. “That’s a right foot.”

Councillor Ford, meanwhile, said he didn’t think the mayor looked that bad in Saturday’s video.

"S---, he didn't look as bad as I thought," Ford said, recalling what he thought when he watched the video for the first time.

"I thought he looked pretty good, he had a good smile on his face and he was looking pretty good."

Ford dismissed the idea he should be worried about the mayor wandering the streets at night.

"He's not a little kid, he doesn't have a curfew at 10:30 p.m.," he said.

"He's out there and if he wants to meet the folks at that time, so be it."