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Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, under pressure to quit after admitting he smoked crack cocaine and had a drink problem, could enter rehab, his lawyer says.

Dennis Morris told the Globe and Mail that the mayor of Canada's largest city was "considering options".

"And we'll stay tuned to see what he says in the next few days," Mr Morristold the newspaper.

His comments come a day after Mr Ford apologised for a video of him threatening to kill an unknown person.

The 44-year-old married father of two said he was "extremely, extremely inebriated" at the time it was filmed and he was "embarrassed" by it.

Toronto police said last week they have a separate video apparently showing Mr Ford smoking crack cocaine, which has not been made public.

Foul-mouthed rant

His older brother, Doug Ford, told a radio broadcaster on Friday that his brother could benefit from "a little bit of counselling".

"If Rob goes away on a vacation, for a week or two weeks, Rob loses 50, 60 pounds, stays on the straight narrows," he said, "it'll be tough to beat Rob Ford."

Thursday's release of a video showing an agitated Mr Ford during a foul-mouthed rant was a defining moment for the mayor, Mr Morris has told reporters.

The context of the clip is not clear, nor is the target of Mr Ford's wrath.

He vows to rip out the person's throat, poke out his eyes and ensure his victim is dead.

On Thursday, Mr Morris said he had been in talks with Toronto police to view the crack-smoking clip.

Police say the video is not enough to charge Mr Ford but they have not made it public as it is evidence before the courts.

Allegations of drug use by Mr Ford surfaced in May when journalists reported seeing footage of him smoking crack cocaine.

The mayor acknowledged for the first time on Tuesday that he had taken the drug "probably a year ago" while in a "drunken stupor".

He said he was "embarrassed" by his behaviour, though he vowed to run for re-election.

Mr Ford has faced mounting calls from even his political allies to resign, saying they have lost confidence in him.

But officials in North America's fourth-largest city cannot legally remove him unless he is convicted of a crime.