Jacksonville Jaguars president Mark Lamping has apologised for a joke about Ebola by the winless NFL team's mascot during a 17-9 home loss to Pittsburgh.
Jaxon DeVille, the oversized-costume character who entertains at Jaguars home games, held a yellow towel often carried by Pittsburgh fans with a handmade sign that read "Towels Carry Ebola."
Ebola, which first emerged in 1976, has killed more than 3,300 people so far this year in West Africa. Symptoms of the virus include diarrhea, vomiting, internal bleeding and organ failure.
Five Americans with the disease have been evacuated from the region in recent weeks.
"Improvisation and humour have both been key elements to the character of Jaxson DeVille, especially when he performs at home games," Lamping said in a statement.
"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."
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