Will Witherspoon excused from practice after his mother dies

Tennessee Titans linebacker Will Witherspoon has been excused from practice this week following the unanticipated death of his mother.

"He's going through a really tough time," Titans coach Jeff Fisher told reporters. "He lost his mom Tuesday, and ... it was sudden. It was unexpected so we got him to the airport Tuesday afternoon and communicated with him last night. As you can understand, it's very, very difficult."

Nora Lee Cooper Witherspoon died at the age of 56.

Fisher indicated that Witherspoon informed him that he hopes to play in the Titans' opener against the Oakland Raiders.

"He'll be back for the game," Fisher said. "At that point, we'll evaluate it. He expressed 100 percent interest and confidence in his ability to play in this game. Fortunately for Will, he's a very experienced player."

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