TORONTO

Two of Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly’s staffers went on a Super Bowl beer run and delivered it to his house, the Toronto Sun has learned.

Kelly’s spokesman, Sunny Petrujkic, downplayed the beer run but confirmed Thursday that the staffers picked up cases of beer and delivered them to Kelly’s Scarborough home last week.

“It was some date last week when they had time to go out and take their car and get some drinks in advance,” he said. “It was on their own time, in the evening sometime.

“They got excited about Super Bowl coming up, wanted to have a gathering and it is just for the office staff in our office.”

The deputy mayor’s office swung into full defensive-mode about the run after the story broke on torontosun.com Thursday afternoon, telling reporters at other media outlets it was a “non-story” and trying to urge them not to cover it.

Petrujkic refused to say when specifically the beer run happened but argued it was on the staffers’ own time and with their own vehicle. He also wouldn’t say how much beer was involved or what kind was delivered from the Beer Store to the deputy mayor’s door.

He denied staff were directed to pick up the beer by Kelly, chief of staff Earl Provost or any other senior staff.

“Staff did it on their own willingness,” he said, adding they paid for the beer themselves.

Kelly is known for throwing Super Bowl and Grey Cup parties at his house and often invites councillors.

“This year he just decided to host an informal gathering for office staff and some of the staff got excited,” Petrujkic said.

Earlier in the day, Provost - Mayor Rob Ford’s former chief of staff - denied staffers picked up beer for a Super Bowl party at Kelly’s house or that there was any party at all.

“There is no party at his house on Sunday,” Provost told the Sun. “There is no party.”

He stressed no staff picked up beer on Wednesday or earlier this week.

Asked directly if staff were sent at any point to pick up 8 cases of beer, Provost shook his head.

“No, I’m telling you no,” Provost said. “I wouldn’t spin you like that.”

Councillor Doug Ford claimed there was a “double standard” around Kelly’s beer run.

“I know if that was Rob Ford doing that they’d probably have the rope around his neck and they’d be lynching him by sunrise (Friday) morning,” Ford said.

“I just want to know why all the media isn’t standing outside Norm Kelly’s house.”

Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong wouldn’t kick Kelly for the incident.

“Context is everything,” he said.