TORONTO - Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has denied any responsibility for an incident in which passengers were kicked off two public transit buses so his high school football team could catch a ride.

Ford, who coaches the team, says he did not issue any orders to the Toronto police or the Toronto Transit Commission to have the buses emptied during afternoon rush hour on Thursday.

The buses were abruptly rerouted after police requested the vehicles when the team's football game ended early.

Ford told reporters Monday that he was assisting police when he made a follow-up call to the TTC when the bus failed to arrive after 20 minutes.

A frustrated Ford said that he was being unfairly blamed for the incident when it "wasn't my call" for the buses to be ordered in the first place.

It's unclear what prompted the call but Ford said police had safety concerns after a confrontation on the field ended the game.