In the wake of two more highly publicized police shootings in Tulsa, Okla., and Charlotte, N.C., Richard Sherman didn't take questions Wednesday during his weekly news conference.
Instead, the Seahawks cornerback used his used his conference to question why protests of the national anthem started by 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick are starting to be ignored, while what they're protesting — police brutality and racial injustice — continues.
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"You have players that are trying to take a stand and try to be aware of social issues and try to make a stand and increase people's awareness and put a spotlight on it, and they're being ignored," Sherman said after commenting briefly about the 49ers, Seattle's opponent this week. "Whether they're taking a knee or whether they're locking arms, they're trying to bring people together and try to unite them for a cause."
Sherman, a fifth-round draft pick from Stanford in 2011, has been one of the NFL's more outspoken players when it comes to societal issues.
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"You have players that are trying to take a stand and try to be aware of social issues and try to make a stand and increase people's awareness and put a spotlight on it, and they're being ignored," Sherman said. "Whether they're taking a knee or whether they're locking arms, they're trying to bring people together and try to unite them for a cause.
And I think the last couple days, a couple more guys have gotten shot and killed in the middle of the street. More videos have come out of guys getting killed. And I think people are still missing the point. The reason these guys are kneeling — the reason we're locking arms — is to bring people together, to make people aware that this is not right. It's not right for people to get killed in the street.
I do a lot of community service. I go out there and try to help kids and try to encourage them to be better and to aspire to more," Sherman continued. "When you tell a kid, 'When you're dealing with police, just put your hands up and comply with everything,' and there's still a chance of them getting shot, and no repercussions for anyone, that's an unfortunate time to be living.
That's an unfortunate place to be in. There's not a lot you can tell a kid. There's not a lot you can try to inspire. We need black fathers to stay in the community, to be there for your kids, but they're getting killed in the streets for nothing, for putting their hands on their cars.
That's an unfortunate place that we're living in and something needs to be done," he added. "And so when a guy takes a knee, you can ignore it. You can say, 'He's not being patriotic. He's not honoring the flag.' I'm doing none of those things. I'm saying it straight up. This is wrong and we need to do something."
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The entire two-minute speech can be viewed below.
Video courtesy of Tacoma News Tribune beat writer Gregg Bell.