Twitter account hacked, news of commissioner's death false, says NFL
The NFL Logo is shown during the Denver Broncos game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Invesco Field at Mile High on September 23, 2007 in Denver, Colorado.
A series of rogue messages kept social media abuzz about "Roger Goodell's death"
The National Football League'sTwitteraccount was hacked on Tuesday and a false tweet was sent that Commissioner Roger Goodell had died, an NFL spokesman said on hisTwitteraccount.
McCarthy confirmed to Reuters that the account had been hacked.
"We are reviewing and strengthening our cyber security measures," McCarthy said in an email.
He said the NFL had contacted law enforcement about the hacking but declined further comment.
The NFL's officialTwitterhandle sent a tweet at 12:36 p.m. ET that read, "We regret to inform our fans that our commissioner, Roger Goodell, has passed away. He was 57. #RIP."
The tweet was promptly deleted, only to be followed by another rogue message, this time seemingly mocking the league.
"Oi, I said Roger Goodell has died," the tweet read. "Don't delete that tweet."
ATwitterspokesman declined to comment and directed inquiries to the NFL.
"Roger Goodell" quickly began to trend onTwitter, with some social media users cracking jokes.
The NFL was not the only high-profile account hacked this week.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg'sTwitterand Pinterest accounts were hacked on Sunday.