TORONTO, Ont. – Mayor Rob Ford is on the defensive over allegations he used city staffers and resources to run his high school football team.

A story published in the Globe and Mail on Wednesday alleged the mayor is using at least two office staffers and taxpayer-funded cellphones to administer his summer football teams.

In a statement on Wednesday, Ford did not address accusations that he uses taxpayer-funded staffers to run his football teams.

“I’m okay if councillors want to criticize me for helping kids. That’s their right,” Ford said in a statement on Wednesday.

“However, councillors should not be criticizing my staff.”

“Only a coward would criticize my staff,” he said.

The newspaper also reported the mayor’s new special assistant Andrew Gillis, the former quarterback of the University of Toronto’s Varsity Blues, helped him with a football practice.

Coun. Adam Vaughan slammed Ford, calling him a “hypocrite.”

“He put in rules that said we’re not to use city resources to fund kids sports program — he’s doing that.”

The Facebook page for the Rexdale Raiders has references to Ford’s office staffers.

Coun. Doug Ford blasted the Globe’s report as “gutter journalism.” He told 680News there is no conflict of interest.

The allegations came a week after Ford testified in court at his conflict-of-interest case that he was no longer using city resources to contribute to his football activities.

The case alleges the mayor spoke and voted on a matter in which he had financial interest.

If found guilty, the mayor could be ousted from office and barred from running for city council for seven years.