Jacksonville Jaguars mascot criticized for Ebola joke at game

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars mascot Jaxson DeVille is facing criticism over a tasteless Ebola joke during Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, CBS Tampa reported.

The mascot was on a Segway with a Steelers "Terrible Towel" while carrying a sign "Towels Carry Ebola."

The organization apologized for the incident in a statement Monday.

"Improvisation and humor have both been key elements to the character of Jaxson DeVille, especially when he performs at home games," Jaguars President Mark Lamping said in a statement to WJAX-TV. "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."

ESPN reports that Curtis Dvorak was in the costume at the time.

The World Health Organization estimates that Ebola has killed more than 3,400 people.

Dvorak's actions were ripped by some on Twitter.