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Avid swimmer Michael Bennett hopes Simone Manuel’s Olympic success opens additional athletic doors for African-Americans

Seahawk Michael Bennett is an avid swimmer and says he hopes the Olympic success of Simone Manuel will encourage other African-Americans to take up the sport.

Michael Bennett isn’t even really sure how old he was when his father took him to a local pool for the first time.

“Really young,’’ he says.

But he remembers clearly what happened next.

“My dad (Michael Bennett Sr.) just took me and threw me in a pool and said ‘do you want to drown or do you want to swim?’’’ said the 30-year-old Seahawks defensive lineman. “I just learned how to swim from there.