As expected, the Jacksonville Jaguars have now apologized for a sign that their mascot brandished Sunday afternoon during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers that linked the Terrible Towel to the deadly Ebola virus.
After the game a picture that was taken by USA Today Sports that showed Jaxson de Ville holding up a hand-written sign that read “TOWELS CARRY EBOLA” while carrying a yellow Terrible Towel in his right hand went viral and it resulted in quite a backlash against the Jaguars organization.
According to ESPN.com, Jaguars team president Mark Lamping said the team had no prior knowledge that their mascot would be using said sign and that the organization is handling the matter internally.
“Improvisation and humor have both been key elements to the character of Jaxson de Ville, especially when he performs at home games,” Lamping said, according to the ESPN.com report. “On Sunday, the person who has played Jaxson de Ville 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.”
