Jacksonville Jaguars Apologize For Mascot’s Ebola Joke

The Jacksonville Jaguars issued an apology today after their mascot, Jaxson DeVille, mocked Pittsburgh Steelers fans with an Ebola joke.

Every Sunday the Jaguars mascot rides around the stadium to taunt opposing fans but this week he may have gone too far. The mascot used a sign that read, “Towels Carry Ebola,” to rile up Steelers fans.

Well, it worked. The internet was pretty furious about the joke.

For one, Ebola is a touchy subject in the United States in the moment. Two, sales of the “terrible towel” raise money for charity. Is Jaxson DeVille against charity?

All revenue generated by Terrible Towel sales go to a home for mentally challenged children. #Classy #Ebola #NFL #Jax pic.twitter.com/caQQGwcIeB

— Denny Paul (@ProjectBGH) October 6, 2014

The Steelers released a statement today apologizing for the incident.

The statement reads: “Improvisation and humor have both been key elements to the character of Jaxson DeVille, especially when he performs at home games … On Sunday, the person who has played Jaxson DeVille over the past 20 seasons made an extremely poor decision in that regard. The team was unaware of this inappropriate sign, which was hand-made by Jaxson during the fourth quarter of yesterday’s game, until after it had been displayed. We are handling the matter internally and taking it very seriously. We extend our sincerest apologies to anyone who was offended.”

[Image Via Wikipedia]