Ebola Reaches Pittsburgh? According To Jacksonville Jaguars Mascot, It Has [VIDEO]

The Ebola virus has become a world word epidemic as new cases of the deadly virus are popping up every day. It has officially reached Pittsburgh, and the NFL, but not in the way you might think. During last Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars, the Jaguars mascot touted a sign that read: “Towels Carry Ebola,” in reference to Pittsburgh’s infamous “terrible towels.” The Steelers won the game 17-9, but the mascot, Jaxson de Ville, stole all the headlines.

In the 4^th quarter of the one score game, Jaxson de Ville held the sign up to the home fans while waving the yellow “terrible towel.” The incident spurred controversy as many believed the sign was in bad taste considering the seriousness of the disease. According to Jaguars president, Mark Lamping, the team did not approve the sign nor did they have any prior knowledge that their mascot would be using it.

“Improvisation and humor have both been key elements to the character of Jaxson de Ville, especially when he performs at home games,” Lamping said in a statement. “On Sunday, the person who has played Jaxson de Ville over the past 20 seasons made an extremely poor decision in that regard.”

The person in question is Curtis Dvorak who has been the man inside the de Ville suit since the team’s inception into the league in 1996. Dvorak went under fire by social media as soon as the picture of de Ville holding the sign went viral late Sunday night.

“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,” uttered Lamping.

Ebola is a highly contagious and highly infectious viral disease that is spread through bodily fluids. There have been cases of the virus reaching the United States, most recently in Dallas, TX. The seriousness of the disease cannot be questioned as it has a mortality rate of 90 percent. According to the World Health Organization, there have been over 8,000 confirmed or suspected cases of Ebola. The disease is more commonly found in Africa in countries such as Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.