The N.F.L. became the latest victim in a string of recent high-profile Twitter hoaxes and hackings after its verified account sent a series of tweets saying that Roger Goodell, the league’s commissioner, had died.
“We regret to inform our fans that our commissioner, Roger Goodell, has passed away. He was 57. #RIP,” the hoax tweet read.
Initially a flurry of posts expressing shock of the death went up after the tweet about Mr. Goodell, a polarizing figure in his 10 years as commissioner.
But others, battle-worn from days of recent Twitter hoaxes targeting celebrities like Jack Black, Mark Zuckerberg, Katy Perry and Drake quickly turned skeptical: Something just didn’t seem quite right about this one.