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Tennessee free safety Lance Schulters has Bell's Palsy, a virus that has partially paralyzed the left side of his face, the Titans announced Sunday.
Schulters sat out the Titans' exhibition opener Saturday night, forcing the team to replace him with rookie Donnie Nickey. But coach Jeff Fisher said Schulters has been cleared to practice and play.
"This is one of those situations we're going to leave up to him. As an organization and a staff, we're not going to say 'you're cleared to play,''' Fisher said. "We're hoping we can work him back into practice to where he's comfortable practicing.''
Schulters, who was not available for comment Sunday on the players' day off, originally thought he had an earache last weekend. Trainers found no evidence, so Schulters went to a dentist where he had an emergency root canal for an abscessed tooth.
Numbness that affected his eyelid and the left side of his mouth did not go away, so doctors ran more tests. Trainer Brad Brown said Schulters was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy on Saturday.
Brown said that 85 percent of people affected by Bell's Palsy recover completely, but it can take three weeks for symptoms to reach their worst. Recovery can take anywhere from three weeks to six months.
Schulters is being treated with steroids and other medicine. He also must wear an eye patch to help him sleep and keep his eye from drying out. Brown said Schulters' symptoms have not worsened and that he is not suffering a complete paralysis of the muscles in his face.
"That's the good thing. If we're fortunate, it won't go any further,'' Brown said.
The Titans signed Schulters as a free agent away from the San Francisco 49ers in 2002, and he has been their starting free safety ever since. He is known for a fiery and talkative personality, which both the Titans and his teammates credit with bringing a swagger to the defense.
Schulters, out of Hofstra, was named to the Pro Bowl in 1999 -- his first full season as a starter.
Andre Woolfolk, the Titans' top draft pick, also will see a specialist after dislocating his left big toe in Tennessee's 10-6 preseason victory over Cleveland on Saturday night. Woolfolk dislocated his toe during a tackle and hopped off the field.
X-rays during the game showed no fracture, but an MRI on Sunday revealed damage to the joint in the toe.
"Best case scenario could be a couple weeks,'' Fisher said of Woolfolk's return. "Worst case he could potentially require some surgery. That surgery... could be one of those things that takes place when the season's over. We don't know.''
Defensive end Carlos Hall also had an MRI on his left knee, which showed some torn cartilage. Fisher said Hall likely will have arthroscopic surgery to repair the knee now rather than let the problem fester into the season.
Safety Jesse Sowells also will have arthroscopic surgery on his knee.
Schulters sat out the Titans' exhibition opener Saturday night, forcing the team to replace him with rookie Donnie Nickey. But coach Jeff Fisher said Schulters has been cleared to practice and play.
"This is one of those situations we're going to leave up to him. As an organization and a staff, we're not going to say 'you're cleared to play,''' Fisher said. "We're hoping we can work him back into practice to where he's comfortable practicing.''
Schulters, who was not available for comment Sunday on the players' day off, originally thought he had an earache last weekend. Trainers found no evidence, so Schulters went to a dentist where he had an emergency root canal for an abscessed tooth.
Numbness that affected his eyelid and the left side of his mouth did not go away, so doctors ran more tests. Trainer Brad Brown said Schulters was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy on Saturday.
Brown said that 85 percent of people affected by Bell's Palsy recover completely, but it can take three weeks for symptoms to reach their worst. Recovery can take anywhere from three weeks to six months.
Schulters is being treated with steroids and other medicine. He also must wear an eye patch to help him sleep and keep his eye from drying out. Brown said Schulters' symptoms have not worsened and that he is not suffering a complete paralysis of the muscles in his face.
"That's the good thing. If we're fortunate, it won't go any further,'' Brown said.
The Titans signed Schulters as a free agent away from the San Francisco 49ers in 2002, and he has been their starting free safety ever since. He is known for a fiery and talkative personality, which both the Titans and his teammates credit with bringing a swagger to the defense.
Schulters, out of Hofstra, was named to the Pro Bowl in 1999 -- his first full season as a starter.
Andre Woolfolk, the Titans' top draft pick, also will see a specialist after dislocating his left big toe in Tennessee's 10-6 preseason victory over Cleveland on Saturday night. Woolfolk dislocated his toe during a tackle and hopped off the field.
X-rays during the game showed no fracture, but an MRI on Sunday revealed damage to the joint in the toe.
"Best case scenario could be a couple weeks,'' Fisher said of Woolfolk's return. "Worst case he could potentially require some surgery. That surgery... could be one of those things that takes place when the season's over. We don't know.''
Defensive end Carlos Hall also had an MRI on his left knee, which showed some torn cartilage. Fisher said Hall likely will have arthroscopic surgery to repair the knee now rather than let the problem fester into the season.
Safety Jesse Sowells also will have arthroscopic surgery on his knee.