NFL Players React to Report That League Saw Video of Ray Rice Incident in April

If NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is looking for support during the league's massive ongoing controversy, he probably shouldn't check Twitter.

When The Associated Press broke news that the NFL reportedly received the video back in April of Ray Rice punching then-fiancee Janay Palmer—despite claims, from Goodell and the league, as tweeted by SportsCenter, they had not seen it until TMZ released it Monday—the commissioner drew heavy fire on the social media site.

"#FireGoodell" quickly began trending, and many NFL players, both former and current, decided to join the online reprimanding.

The recently retired James Harrison, who had several run-ins with the league for illegal hits, certainly wasn't about to miss the chance to switch roles for once:

He wasn't done there, also attacking the collective bargaining agreement:

One player who worked on the CBA and knows firsthand what it's like to deal with Goodell and NFL executives is former linebacker Scott Fujita, the former vice president of the NFLPA Executive Committee.

As he argued, the problem goes far beyond just Goodell:

Of course, even if that's true, Goodell certainly seems to be a part of the problem, whether he lied through his teeth or the league was somehow unable to obtain the video from the security camera.

Chargers safety Eric Weddle had some strong words as well:

Falcons wide receiver Roddy White also weighed in on the story on his Twitter account (via ABC News):

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Atlanta Falcons receiver Roddy White was among a small group of current players who took to Twitter, calling for Goodell to issue a mea culpa but saying the commissioner was handcuffed by pride. The post was later deleted.

"Rodger should just come out and say we messed up and drop the ball on this one," White tweeted. "But he won't to much pride and it's a lot of that in the nfl."

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Many were quick to draw similarities to words he himself used when dealing with Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal from 2012. Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin and former quarterback Sage Rosenfels noted the hypocrisy:

Former linebacker London Fletcher had a different solution after sources told The Washington Post's Mark Maske that Goodell has no plans to resign despite the barrels of criticism:

But one simple hashtag from San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Anthony Davis may potentially summarize everything best:

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#ByeRoger

— Anthony Davis (@AnthonyDavis76) September 10, 2014"

Former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe also reacted to the NFL's announcement that an independent investigation would be taking place:

Reportedly, Goodell is adamant he won't resign, so if we are indeed going to say goodbye, it appears he will have to be fired.

While that hasn't happened yet, a snowball effect could soon be coming if the outrage continues. As the level of anger rises, NFL sponsors may get more and more uneasy. Marriott Hotel has already shown it's at least paying attention.

If sponsors start to drop or threaten to drop, owners will have no choice but to say one thing. 

Bye, Roger.