A Toronto councillor says he will honour a bet made between the city’s top politico and the president of the borough of Brooklyn over a basketball series.
Last month, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford accepted a ‘friendly wager’ issued by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams on the outcome of the NBA playoff series between the Raptors and the Nets.
The wager followed a release issued by Adams in response to Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri’s comments ahead of Game 1 of the series when he yelled “F--- Brooklyn” to fans gathered at Maple Leaf Square.
“I feel it is extremely important for people in all cities to be involved in sports, be it school and extra-curricular programs for our youth, staying active as an adult, or cheering on our local teams throughout their seasons,” a statement released by Ford at the time said.
“I would be happy to take you up on your offer of a friendly wager, with the winner receiving a CD of a favourite local artist.”
The Nets ended the Raptors season with a 104-103 win Sunday afternoon in Toronto. The win comes just days after Ford confirmed that he would take a leave of absence to address substance abuse issues.
Monday night, Coun. Josh Matlow said that he would honour the bet made by Ford following a phone call from a New York media outlet earlier in the day.
“I simply said yeah, I think we should,” Matlow told CP24 of the phone call asking if the wager would be paid. “A bet’s a bet and the mayor is not here to come through with the commitment that was made on behalf of Toronto, and I think we should.”
Matlow was quick to dismiss the idea that the move might be perceived as insensitive given the mayor’s current capacity.
“As sensitive as I think we should all be to Rob Ford’s journey to seek help, life must go on,” Matlow said. “Quite frankly, this is a very light-hearted measure, and I think it’s important to come through with promises we make.”
Matlow said he plans to send Adams a CD by Toronto rap artist Drake.
