Ebola Sign Prompts Apology from Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars have issued a formal apology for a sign the team’s mascot carried during Sunday’s game against the Pittsburg Steelers.

Meant to poke fun at the Steelers’ “Terrible Towels,” the sign mascot Jaxson de Ville toted ended up creating controversy instead, according to The Tampa Tribune.

The handwritten sign simply said “Towels Carry Ebola.”

It was, however, created without the organization’s knowledge, team president Mark Lamping was quoted by ESPN as saying.

While humor and improvisation go along with the Jaxson de Ville character, the sign pushed things too far, Lamping said.

“On Sunday, the person who has played Jaxson de Ville over the past 20 seasons made an extremely poor decision in that regard,” ESPN quoted him as saying.

Lamping extended apologies to anyone who was offended.

The de Ville costume has been donned by Curtis Dvorak since the mascot’s debut in 1996. Lamping says the matter will be handled internally. It’s unclear at this time if disciplinary action will be taken.

Ebola is a virus that’s spread through close contact with bodily fluids. It presents with a fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Patients may also suffer unexplained hemorrhaging, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Often deadly, the virus has claimed thousands of lives in an ongoing West African outbreak.

The first travel-associated case of Ebola diagnosed in the United States was announced by the CDC on Sept. 30, giving rise to concerns about the virus across the country.

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Photo Credit: YouTube screenshot