NFL claims Twitter hack after tweets falsely report Roger Goodell is dead

NFL spokesmen say the league’s official Twitter account was hacked Tuesday morning when it tweeted out an erroneous statement that commissioner Roger Goodell had died. The tweet was soon deleted.

According to a screenshot of the tweet, the NFL’s account tweeted, “We regret to inform our fans that our commissioner, Roger Goodell, has passed away. He was 57. #RIP.”

When asked about the veracity of the tweet, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told USA TODAY in an email, “Not true. Hacked.”

Brian McCarthy, another NFL spokesman, tweeted from his account (@NFLprguy) that the NFL’s official Twitter account was hacked and that Goodell “is alive and well.”

A subsequent tweet from the NFL’s official account referencing Goodell – which was soon deleted -- suggested that the account was still hacked.

The tweet read: "Oi, I said Roger Goodell has died. Don't delete that tweet."

The NFL's account also tweeted a third time ... "OK, OK, you amateur detectives win. Good job.”

Follow Eric Prisbell on Twitter @EricPrisbell.