Mayor Rob Ford chooses football over committee meeting

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford skipped five and a half hours ofa meeting of the executive committee thathe chairs on Monday in order to coach football.

The mayor was gone from the meetingwhich got underway at 10 a.m. and took a one-hour lunch break at 12:30 p.m.from 2:30 p.m. until 8 p.m.

"He was coaching, but note it's extremely rare that his football duties conflict with his council responsibilities," said the mayor's press secretary George Christopoulos in a Tuesdayemail.

"He was comfortable leaving knowing there were no contentious issues remaining on[the executive]agenda and the fact that the remaining items were left in the capable hands of other committee members."

After the mayor left the meeting, he misseda vote that approveda move to issue a request for proposals for a private operator to run Casa Loma and another on areview of the city's anti-discrimination policy.

The mayor coaches theDon Bosco Catholic Secondary School Eagles.