Seahawks' Richard Sherman: 'Get past the color of people's skins'

Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman practices on a bull sled during the first day of training camp, at Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton on Saturday, July 30, 2016. Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman practices on a bull sled during the first day of training camp, at Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton on Saturday, July 30, 2016. Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 68 Caption Close Seahawks' Richard Sherman: 'Get past the color of people's skins' 1 / 68 Back to Gallery

RENTON -- Three days after Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett called out NFL stars for not speaking enough on social issues, his teammate and league standout Richard Sherman responded.

Sherman echoed Bennett's call, and took time to address the country's struggles with race, specifically appealing to the treatment of African American children.

"Our (platform as athletes) is about giving kids equal opportunity," Sherman said, "but these kids need to realize they're powerful, they're incredible, they're unique. Obviously your skin color makes you unique to some degree. You walk around Europe, you're going to stand out a little bit. But realize you're a beautiful person."

Bennett, Sherman and teammate Cliff Avril talk for "hours and hours" about these kinds of issues, Sherman said. Avril and Bennett have children that attend fairly affluent schools, and are sometimes ostracized or asked awkward questions because their skin color doesn't match those around them.

Those discussions, Sherman said, take on an increased importance with the knowledge children with "a certain pigment" go to more underfunded schools, leading to worse educations and fewer opportunities.

"I'm sure if people filmed our discussions and saw how deeply we dived into it, then they'd understand how seriously we take these issues," Sherman said. "It's unfortunate the time we're living in. ... Come on, just get past the color of people's skins. Nobody gets to pick the color of their skins. We're black people. We're born brown, and we should not be treated differently because of the color of our skins."

Related: No lightning, plenty of thunder as Seahawks move indoors for fourth camp practice

At the opening day of training camp on Saturday, Bennett wore a "Black Lives Matter" t-shirt and called out NFL stars -- specifically Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Cam Newton -- for not doing enough to promote change in social issues.

Bennett unfavorably compared the NFL's stars "who sit back and take the dollars" to stars of the NBA and their advocacy. Both Sherman and Bennett focused on talking to children who were unwittingly placed in the midst of a mess they did not create.

"My message to the kids, and that's always who I speak to because they're the next generation, they're innocent souls," Sherman said. "They got nothing to do with this.

"It's going to be powerful when we come together and understand that."