Facing rare criticism from a taxpayer advocacy group, Mayor Rob Ford refused Wednesday to answer questions about his use of city employees and resources for work related to his three football teams.

Ford brushed past waiting reporters as he left City Hall at 2 p.m. to coach a practice at Etobicoke’s Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School. In a display of loyalty at the end of practice around 6 p.m., about 20 padded players surrounded him, hooting and hollering, to prevent reporters from speaking to him as he walked to his car.

“Thank you, guys,” he said to the players, a wide grin on his face.

The action capped a day in which Ford faced allegations that he had violated council’s code of conduct by having staff members paid by taxpayers help him manage his teams using taxpayer-paid resources such as cellphones and cars.

The code of conduct says “no member of council should use, or permit the use, of city land, facilities, equipment, supplies, services, staff or other resources . . . for activities other than the business of the Corporation.”

Ford’s office said in a statement that his staffers accompany him to football events “in order to assist him in his official duties.” The statement, however, did not address the staffers’ broader contribution to his teams or their use of resources.

Two junior members of Ford’s staff are listed as primary contacts on the Facebook page for his two summer teams. The phone numbers listed for special assistants Chris Fickel and Isaac Shirokoff are owned by the city, a city spokesperson said.

A source who worked in the mayor’s office said Shirokoff spent the majority of most work days on football — and regularly used a city car to ferry players and to attend games and practices. “It was not during off hours,” the source said.

In a brief interview with a television reporter, Ford, who made his name as a councillor railing against spending he saw as inappropriate, defended himself by touting his record of frugality. But that was insufficient for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, an anti-waste advocacy group that generally believes he has done a good job.

“It seems clear that this is not okay, and it’s against the rules, and it should stop,” said Gregory Thomas, the group’s federal and Ontario director. “And if anybody can figure out how much city staff time, and resources like cars and what have you, have been used, then that should be reimbursed to the city.”

Ford said at the end of the 2010 campaign that he would quit coaching at Don Bosco to focus on his job if he won the mayoralty. He later changed his mind, saying he could not abandon the disadvantaged teenagers he mentors, and also launched two new summer teams, both called the Rexdale Raiders.

As he avoided microphones on Wednesday, his brother, Councillor Doug Ford, conducted a media blitz in which he repeatedly and angrily insisted that the staff members help the football teams on a “volunteer” basis. But the mayor’s statement did not say the same.

In the statement, Rob Ford denounced unnamed councillors for allegedly criticizing his staff members and his volunteer coaching work — though almost all of the criticism Wednesday focused on his allegedly inappropriate deployment of the staffers and his decision to skip most of an executive committee meeting on Monday to coach a scrimmage.

“I’m okay if councillors want to criticize me for helping kids. That’s their right,” he said in a quote attributed to him. “I’m a big guy and I can take it. However, councillors should not be criticizing my staff. Each and every one of them works hard every day for the taxpayers of this great city. They put in at least 40 hours of work for taxpayers every week. Often more.

“Only a coward would criticize my staff. They can’t defend themselves in the media against elected officials.”

Doug Ford appeared to concede that Shirokoff, who has now left the mayor’s staff and could not be reached for comment, had used a city car for football. Shirokoff used a single car to “drive around and do everything,” Doug Ford said on CBC Radio One.

Rob Ford singled out Shirokoff for praise in a speech at a fundraiser for his football foundation in July. “I want to thank Isaac — Isaac’s been with me for a couple years now; he’s been helping me left, right and centre with these kids,” he said, referring to his football players.

Ford was censured by council in 2010 for improperly using city resources to help with his football foundation, which raises money to help schools start teams. He said under oath last week that he has stopped doing so, but he did not say he doesn’t use city resources for his teams.

Ford’s office recently added a new special assistant: Andrew Gillis, who played quarterback for five years at the University of Toronto through last season. Gillis helped Ford at Tuesday’s practice; Fickel was present at Wednesday’s, at one point helping an injured player off the field. He declined comment.

Ford skipped the last 5.5 hours of Monday’s executive meeting to coach the Eagles at a pre-season “jamboree” event in Newmarket. Football appears to be a major time commitment for him in the fall.

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“It’s every day from 3 to 6 o’clock for September-October, and depending on how far the team goes in the playoffs, it could go to the end of November,” he said at the July fundraiser. Doug Ford said this is a small chunk of his very long days.

As Doug Ford noted, the city pays a flat rate for the phone plans of Ford’s staff, so football-related calls do not cost taxpayers additional money.

With files from Michael Woods and Jayme Poisson

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