Jacksonville Jaguars call mascot’s Ebola joke an ‘extremely poor decision’

In their efforts to appear up to speed on current events, some organizations and the spokespeople who represent them sometimes make jokes about topics that they should probably just avoid.

Case in point: The Jacksonville Jaguars, who had to apologize Monday after an uproar over a sign the team mascot, Jaxon de Ville, carried at Sunday’s game. It read “Towels carry Ebola” to mock the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers’ hand towels.

Since December, an Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed an estimated 3,400 people, according to the World Health Organization.

Jaguars President Mark Lamping issued this statement Monday:

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.