ORLANDO, Fla. — NFL executives will fan out to all 32 teams during the next three months to explain an unexpected new rule that will at least penalize — and potentially eject — players who lower their helmets to initiate contact with an opponent.

Speaking Wednesday at the conclusion of an eventful owners meetings, commissioner Roger Goodell said the meetings would be “all hands on deck” to convey the gravity of efforts to reduce brain, neck and spinal injuries.

“Our focus is on how to take the head out of the game,” Goodell said, “and make sure we’re using the helmet as protection, and [that] it’s not being used as a weapon. And I think we’ve made a tremendous amount of progress on that this week.”

The rule is part of the league’s answer to a “call to action” from chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills, a response to a season that included 291 concussions — the most on record — and a serious spinal injury to Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier. In addition, the NFL’s competition committee is preparing a stark mandate for coaches: Kickoffs will be eliminated in the near future if concussion rates don’t decrease dramatically.

Players have reacted with confusion and dismay to initial reports of the helmet rule change, which owners mandated Tuesday after the competition committee first planned to make it a simpler point of emphasis. Goodell said he hopes players will have different opinions once they are taught the rule.

“You’re jumping ahead to the players that have not had the opportunity to hear the discussion that we’ve had,” Goodell said. “So you’re reacting to players who have not yet heard that dialogue or heard the basis of why we came to where we came. And I understand that, but that’s why I mentioned early on that our intent is to make sure we go in, we go to each team, and we have tape and all of the analysis and work that was done in great coordination with our various teams to be able to communicate that to them. I’d give them an opportunity first to understand what the play is before we make a lot of adjustments about the ramifications.”

In fact, enforcement of the rule is still under development. Over the next two months, the NFL’s competition committee will work to determine how to administrate ejections — considered a necessary hammer to enforce the rule — and whether they will be subject to replay. The league hopes to finalize the wording during its May 21-23 meetings in Atlanta.

But Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy, a member of the competition committee, downplayed concerns about the frequency of ejections and perhaps even the penalty itself. He waved off examples such as quarterback sneaks, where a quarterback technically lowers his head and initiates contact.

“We watched a lot of film this year,” Murphy said. “I would say there were probably five hits where you’d say, ‘These are ones where we would want ejections.’ Now, whether there will be more penalties than that? Probably. But the focus, I think, should be on are you using the helmet as a weapon.”

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, another member of the competition committee, said the rule was a “necessary step” and also stopped short of suggesting it represented a transformational moment for the game.

“I think we’ll see it have a great effect on one element of the helmet and how we want the game to be played,” Payton said. “I think you still see the physicality. This is the one posture that we’re removing.”

In other news as the meetings wrapped up:

• Goodell said there was “some” discussion about the league’s national anthem policy during the meetings. Owners arrived in Orlando starkly divided on whether the current policy — which says players “should” stand but does not require it — should be changed. “That’s something that the ownership and I will continue to discuss and focus on as it is needed,” Goodell said.

• Senior vice president of officiating Al Riveron said no NFL rules were changed prior to Super Bowl LII, in which he reviewed but declined to overturn a touchdown reception by Philadelphia Eagles running back Corey Clement. “In order for us to overturn a call,” Riveron said, “we have to see clearly indisputable evidence. There was some movement, but we did not see loss of control. We didn’t see indisputable evidence that he did not have possession of the football.”

ORLANDO, Fla. — Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones does not regret his decision to support Ezekiel Elliott’s appeal of his suspension last season or fight Roger Goodell’s extension, even if it cost him roughly $2 million in legal fees.

Citing a bylaw that had been around since 1997 that says if an owner participates in bringing litigation against other owners he must reimburse them for legal fees, Jones was ordered to reimburse the league. He had his appeal denied by Goodell at a hearing last month.

• 

  Owners on Tuesday unanimously approved a new catch rule and authorized senior vice president of officiating Al Riveron to eject players from games for egregious non-football acts.

• 

  Under an unexpected rule passed Tuesday, a player will be penalized 15 yards and potentially ejected any time he lowers his head to initiate and make contact with his helmet against an opponent.

ORLANDO, Fla. — New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels publicly addressed his decision to back out of the Indianapolis Colts head-coaching job for the first time on Monday, telling The Boston Globe that everything changed two days after the Super Bowl when owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick clarified his situation with the team.

That included an adjustment to his contract, which had one year remaining, according to The Globe.

“I wasn’t 100 percent sure what the future was,” McDaniels told the newspaper. “So, where did I fit in? Were there any plans? I just didn’t have much clarity on what my role was here moving forward. … Once I heard from Robert and Bill on that Tuesday, it just gave me reason to pause and consider this whole situation. …

“When they kind of crystallized that — ‘Hey, here’s what we see going forward and here’s how we would like you to fit into it’ — it gave me a reason to stop and say, ‘All right, what’s the best decision for me?’ And certainly it was difficult. But I made the decision on my own, nobody pushed me into it.”

At the same time, McDaniels was given no assurances for the future, according to The Globe. McDaniels told the newspaper it “was as difficult a decision as I’ve ever made professionally.” He also said he spoke with the three assistant coaches who had been hired to be part of his Colts staff, all of whom are staying in Indianapolis.

“It was never my intention to go into this and put anybody in an awkward position or do any harm to anybody or do anything to hurt anybody’s career,” he told The Globe. “I just felt like once I knew the whole picture and I had the opportunity to make a decision, it was tough but I feel like I made the right one.”

McDaniels praised Colts general manager Chris Ballard, calling him an “incredible human being” and added, “Indianapolis did a tremendous job. They have a tremendous organization and I was lucky to be considered. I just think once I found out [the Patriots’ plans for me], I made the right decision for me and my family at this time.”

ORLANDO, Fla. — New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Sunday it wasn’t until after Super Bowl LII that the club had detailed discussions with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels about his future with the team, which ultimately gave McDaniels new information to consider after he accepted the Indianapolis Colts’ head-coaching job.

Belichick’s remarks shed light on one of the shocking decisions of the NFL offseason: McDaniels’ spurning the Colts.

“Once that game ended, I think that really gave Josh and I a chance to sit down and talk more directly about the situation, as opposed to, ‘We really want to talk about the game and what we need to do to try to compete in that game.’ That’s basically what happened,” Belichick said Sunday at the NFL’s annual meeting. “Before the game, I’d say we had minimal discussions. I’d say we had much deeper and longer and more in-depth and more constructive discussions immediately after the game.”

McDaniels interviewed with the Colts during the playoff bye week and had a second interview later in the playoffs.

His decision to back out of an agreement with the Colts shocked many around the NFL, with Indianapolis ultimately moving on to hire Frank Reich.

In a meeting with a small group of local reporters, Belichick said of McDaniels’ return, “We got back from Minnesota, I had an opportunity to talk to Josh, and we were able to work some things out. I’m thrilled he’s still with us and is going to continue in his role. I think he’s a top offensive coordinator in the league. He’s done a great job for me for a long time in a lot of different roles. I’m very glad, based on the meeting we had — there were a number of things that happened — that we were able to work that out and keep him with us.”

Belichick said McDaniels continues to carry out the responsibilities he has had in the past and is working “extremely hard.”