One of the strangest aspects of the Rob Ford saga this spring was the reported existence of a fellow by the name of “Slurpy."
The National Post reported in May he was asked by a group of men to star in a fake crack video meant to discredit the infamous, alleged Ford tape because he looks like the Toronto mayor.
It's unclear just how serious the plan was but word of a potential Ford doppelganger quickly set Twitter abuzz.
Well, it turns out Slurpy does exist, doesn’t look all that much like Ford and is actually quite upset about all of the attention.
The Post’s Megan O’Toole reported on Wednesday the 48-year-old, who lives in a small rural community north of Toronto and is quoted only as Neil, declined from the outset a plan by a group of Toronto men to release a phony video.
"I don’t even look like the guy," he told the Post. "I don’t want to be embroiled in this and that’s it. I said, 'This is a scam and you’re going to go down for this. You’re going to end up in jail.'"
One user on Twitter agreed, suggesting he looked more like the love-child of Ford and Toronto’s previous mayor, David Miller.
But the Post piece also reveals some sadder aspects of a story that many initially found quite funny. O’Toole reports Neil has depression issues, received his nickname because of a speech impediment and feels he has been "hunted like a dog" since the story broke.
Unsurprisingly, Slurpy’s story generated plenty of reaction on Twitter. Some were quick to crack jokes while others expressed sympathy.
See the gallery below for a small collection of tweets.
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