Wes Welker was not initially checked for concussion

Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker took a big hit to the head during his team’s big win over the  previously unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football, which led to a diagnosis of a concussion. Welker had left the game in the fourth quarter.

While Welker eventually released the proper diagnosis, he was not initially tested for a concussion on the sidelines.

According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, the team had evaluated Welker for a neck injury when he first went to the team doctors because he had shown “no concussion symptoms were apparent at that time.”

Welker re-entered the game to catch a pass, but he eventually returned to the sidelines after the concussion-like symptoms began.

The team will obviously cover themselves by saying there were no symptoms,  because they would be violating the league’s concussion policy if they placed Welker back in the game after he took the big hit to the head. However, it is also possible that they made no mistake and Welker was trying to play with his bell rung until it became too much.