JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The mascot for the Jacksonville Jaguars got the team some national attention Sunday -- for an ill-timed joke.
Jaxson de Ville was under fire Monday for a sign he held up during Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at EverBank Field. The sign said "Towels carry Ebola," mocking the Steelers' "Terrible Towels" tradition.
The Jaguars said Monday they were unaware of the sign, which was handmade during the fourth quarter. They apologized to anyone who might have been offended, saying the sign was inappropriate. They are handling the situation internally, they said.
The first confirmed U.S. case of Ebola came just last week in Texas.
"People fear Ebola and people have died, and it's in the States now, so I can see why people fear it," said Terry Trinidad of Sports Mania. "But at the same time, he's the same person at Wolfson Children's Hospital seeing all the patients there. Knowing Jaxson over the years, he meant no harm by this."
The Jaguars issued an apology Monday that said in part, "Improvisation and humor have both been key elements to the character of Jaxson de Ville. "On Sunday, the person who has played Jaxson DeVille over the past 20 seasons made an extremely poor decision in that regard."
Jaguars fan Demetrii Demopolous was at the game and didn't realize how controversial the sign would be.
"I understand it's a sensitive issue and people have passed away in Africa, but I think it's a football game and it gets more attention than it should," Demopolous said. "We should -- even if it's in slightly bad taste -- they should just move on."
Other football fans were offended.
"It upsets me because this time around this outbreak is worse than anything we're accustomed to, especially since its here in the States," said Jeffrey Beiterman said. "Fifty percent of my job is travel, and I know airports are screening passengers. It's not a laughing matter. It's not a joke."
"Probably not the best decision, but I'm not outraged," said Michael Brent. "Not a good publicity move, but I think I can get over it in a day's time."
Some Jaguars fans are rallying behind Jaxson de Ville, even creating Twitter handles that say "Save Jaxson."
A spokesman for the Jaguars said the team is handling the incident internally and would not discuss any disciplinary action.