At 6 feet 5 inches tall, Ben Roethlisberger is a larger-than-life figure both on and off the football field.

The quarterback of the AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, he is the consensus leader of their offense and tends to lead by example. And while the hit by two Cleveland Browns defenders in a meaningless Week 17 matchup may prove not to be a factor in this weekend’s big showdown, we must all hope that the concussion Roethlisberger suffered will not affect his physical well-being off the field.

After enduring his third concussion, one which left him immobilized for over 10 minutes, Big Ben was carried off the field in front of a nervous crowd and live television audience. Fortunately, the Steelers secured a first-round bye and were not forced to ask their slow-footed backup QB Byron Leftwich to carry the burden of shouldering the team through the playoffs.

Any athlete would tell you that taking hits is part of the job, and a hell of a trade-off when you consider the perks. What athletes fail to realize, however, is how much they are risking when they ignore the opinions of medical professionals and step back onto the field before they are truly ready.

Concussions take time to heal. The same can be said for broken bones, torn ligaments and pulled muscles. The body is not a machine and cannot operate as one. The seriousness of concussions is something that has been disregarded for far too long. In my opinion, it is time that changes be made, not only in league rules but in the form of attitude adjustments among the players. The notion “as long as you can stand, you can play” is the sort of machismo that results in irreversible damage. Concussions are notoriously labeled as causes of depression, dementia and other brain diseases that all result from trauma to the head.

Concussions have cut short the careers of some of the brightest stars the NFL has ever featured. Even though they both had long and successful careers, NFL greats Dan Marino and Troy Aikman chose to step down because of health-related concerns, while lesser-profile players like former Patriot Ted Johnson and Carolina Panthers linebacker Dan Morgan find themselves living minute to minute, unsure of what condition they will wake up in each morning.

This Sunday, with all of the cameras focused on Big Ben, we can all hope that nothing goes wrong (albeit someone other than the Giants will be lifting the Lombardi Trophy this year). But let the timing of this situation raise public awareness that the NFL must change their policies in order to better protect their employees.