From Alaskan adventures for linebacker K.J. Wright to visiting family in Florida for cornerback Shaquill Griffin, and from swapping jerseys with NHL legend Wendel Clark for tight end Luke Willson to commentating on set with NFL on FOX for linebacker Bobby Wagner, Seahawks players spent their bye week in a variety of ways.

For Richard Sherman, meanwhile, part of the Seahawks cornerback's week away from football included a visit to a local hospital, where he surprised 4-year-old Ellie, a Mary Bridge Children's Hospital patient who following a recent procedure had misplaced her prized Richard Sherman doll, 'Shermie.'

"It was fun, man," Sherman said of his family's Thursday visit that the Tacoma-area hospital shared video of on social media late last week. "She has a great spirit about her. Had a great time hanging with her. She had a great family. We're going to bring her to the Houston game. But they were good people, man. It was fun.

"I think she lifted my spirits more than I lifted hers. She was such a happy-go-lucky little girl. Every time she turned around she was glowing and smiling and laughing and then her and my kids we're having a good old time, they didn't have a care in the world. So it was a good time, man.

"I didn't really think about it as being a big deal, they kind of filmed it and everything and made it a big deal. But it was just cool to hang out with her and see her and try to brighten her day a little bit."

When @RSherman25 found out Ellie lost her beloved Shermie doll, he drove all the way to Tacoma to make her smile. #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/dHeKavM3yU — Mary Bridge (@Mary_Bridge) October 12, 2017

Sherman did not have a new 'Shermie' doll on hand to give Ellie last week, but he plans to have one at the ready when Ellie makes an appearance at the team's October 29 game against the Texans at CenturyLink Field.

"I did not. I did not," Sherman said with a laugh when asked if he knew that there was such a thing as a 'Shermie' doll. "But she said I was the real Shermie, so I took that, I took some solace in that. But she was really attached to it. Even after all that she was like, 'OK, this is nice, do you have my doll?' I said, 'I'm going to bring one to the game, don't worry about it. I got you.' I wanted to make sure she came to the game, you know, I give her a Shermie doll and then you never hear from her again."

The seventh-year pro said it still surprises him to see some of the reactions people exhibit when they see him in person, and Ellie's genuine level of excitement left a lasting impression.

"That was just so pure and so genuine, so innocent," he said. "She turned around and was like genuinely surprised not that I was there, but that I existed. It was fun, man. I think there's nothing better than a kid's smile and a kid's innocence and she was the embodiment of it. So it was a fantastic experience for me as much as it was for her."