Denver Broncos ride receiver Wes Welker suffered his third concussion in 10 months during the second quarter of Saturday’s scrimmage against the Houston Texans, once again bringing safety protocol for an all-too common injury back into the national spotlight.

Welker, who has experienced numerous concussions over the course of his career, was wearing one of the NFL’s oversized, specially designed protective helmets during the injury. And while an NFL-sized linebacker tackled him, the hit itself was nothing out of the ordinary for a pro football player.

Welker’s most recent injury illustrates the vulnerability of a player who has already sustained multiple concussions and the likeliness of getting another one.

With the fall high school sports season well underway, it’s important to stress the importance of monitoring players on the field or court if they have, in fact, sustained a blow to the head. Washington High School and the rest of Beaufort County Schools have an excellent system in place to avoid mistakenly keeping a player in a game after they’ve been concussed.

Athletic trainer Jeff Mault and his staff of volunteers at Washington are a common sight at the Pam Pack football games and practices, and all coaches should be trained in post-concussion protocol as well.

High school is the age where tackles alone could cause these kinds of injuries. For players who accidentally stay in the game and receive consecutive blows to the head, long-term effects are likely and the chance of receiving a future concussion more likely. In fact, a collection of retired pro football players are in the midst of a lawsuit with the NFL regarding concussions.

If concussions can continue be treated correctly and seriously at a high school level, the rampant head injuries that have plagued professional sports over the last couple decades should be eliminated.