Toronto mayor Rob Ford raises Grey Cup at parade, seemingly violating Russ Jackson’s rule
It's no secret that Toronto mayor-for-the-moment Rob Ford is a huge football fan, so it's not surprising that he was present at the Argonauts' celebratory parade through the city with the Grey Cup Tuesday despite his upcoming removal from office, his high school team's upcoming championship game (where he's expected to coach!) and the ongoing debate over if he can even run in a by-election. However, Ford may have got himself in a little more hot water with his actions at the parade. As you can see from the photo above, he got to hold the Cup on stage; no big deal, right, as plenty of regular fans got that chance during the fan march to the stadium Sunday? Well, Ford may have violated one of the critical rules fans were expected to follow during that march, one laid down by one of the most legendary CFL players of all, Canadian quarterback Russ Jackson. From Adrian Morrow's Globe and Mailstory on the fan march:
The rules were simple. First, don't drop it. Second, in the words of Russ Jackson, a three-time Grey Cup winner with the Ottawa Rough Riders: "You can't hold the cup over your head. You can only hold it over your head if you have won it."
Yes, Ford didn't go for the full horizontal raise traditionally seen from Grey Cup winners, and perhaps that's what Jackson was referring to, but the mayor certainly did lift the Cup above head level, which is something many past champions likely wouldn't be thrilled with. Heck, Toronto coach Scott Milanovich refused to touch the Grey Cup before winning it, reverence a long way from anything Ford showed. You can see from the photo too that the Argonauts' players appear sort of perplexed watching Ford celebrate with the Cup. After all, his main contribution to the week was falling down. Oh well, at least he didn't follow Adriano Belli and break the handle, and if the Argonauts are able to defend their title next year, they may not have to worry about this happening again. After all, Mayor-For-Now Rob Ford may be able to steal centre stage from the team and lift the Grey Cup, but Private Citizen Rob Ford probably can't.