Jacksonville Jaguars vs Pittsburgh Steelers: Jaguars mascot Jaxson de Ville criticised for displaying 'towels carry Ebola' sign

The Jaguars mascot is known for his exuberant ways but went a step too far as he attempted to crack a joke using the Ebola virus as a punch-line

Jacksonville Jaguars mascot Jaxson de Ville holds up an inappropriate sign during the match against the Pittsburgh Steelers that reads 'Towels carry Ebola' (Twitter/@Sunshine___)

There are some things that Jaxson de Ville, mascot for NFL side the Jacksonville Jaguars, is good at. Zip-wiring into Wembley Stadium from the roof is one, working up the crowd is another. Cracking a joke at the opposition’s expense by using Ebola as the punch line is not one of them.

The Jaguars suffered a 17-9 defeat at EverBank Field on Sunday night to the Pittsburgh Steelers, with Brice McCain returning a Blake Bortles interception all the way to secure the win.

However, the biggest talking point was not what happened on the pitch, but what the mascot did during the match. In an attempt to poke fun at the Steelers’ famous ‘Terrible Towels’ that fans wave in support of their team, he held up a sign – while riding on a Segway – that read “Towels carry Emola”.

While the Jacksonville Jaguars PR team confirmed that it was 18-year veteran Curtis Dvorak in the suit on Sunday, they refused to comment further.

The Ebola virus is currently having a devastating effect in Africa that has killed thousands already. The outbreak started in Guinea, West Africa, back in March, and has since become a worldwide focal point having spread as far as the United States.

While the display was an attempt to be funny and not a jibe at the victims of the virus, it was a serious misjudgement from Dvorak and shouldn’t be seen on the NFL field.