As the Super Bowl draws closer, the sentiments towards NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell aren't to welcoming as he receives a bad rating amongst players according to a poll conducted by USA Today Sports.

The recent poll asked 300 active players from Dec. 19 to Jan. 12, and 61 percent said they disapproved of Goodell's performance as commissioner.

Most of the players who said they disapproved of Goodell's job performance cited the increase in fines for hits on defenseless players and the commissioner's role in the league's investigation and discipline of the Saints for the team's bounty program.

"I think it's obvious that I disapprove," said Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who has been fined more than $100,000 for hard hits throughout his career and has been one of the most outspoken critics of Goodell in recent years.

"I feel like what he's doing is not totally for the safety of players. ... A lot of stuff they've done, (such as) fining guys crazy amounts of money for helmet-to-helmet hits and all that and saying you're doing this for the safety of players. But yet you want to add extra games to the regular season.

"In the true interest of player safety, I would have no issue with it. But that's not what it's about. It's about money. Who hired Roger Goodell?"

Of the 39 percent who approved of Goodell's performance cited his role in making the NFL the most popular sport in the United States.

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