Eagles players meet with police to seek solutions

CENTER CITY -- With the recent tensions between police departments and communities, some professional athletes here in Philadelphia are stepping in to help.

Some Philadelphia Eagles players met with police Commissioner Richard Ross to talk about solutions on Thursday.

Also in the meeting were other pro athletes who are Philadelphia natives. Together, they were discussing ways to improve relations between police and communities of color.

"There's obviously a disconnect between the community and the police officers, and what we want to do is bring our voices to the table, our stages, to facilitate the reconciliation of that relationship," said Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins.

It was the players who asked for this meeting with the police department officials.

They tell me they are keenly aware of the tragic violence that has taken place in Dallas, Louisiana and Minnesota, and they hope to contribute to a long-term solution.

"Hopefully what we can do is try and help build the trust back with the Philadelphia Police Department and the Philadelphia community," said Eagles center Jason Kelce. "I think that setting up events, setting up things where police are getting to know citizens, really repairing interpersonal connections."

"The biggest thing we want to start doing is use our platform to bridge this gap," said Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews. "I feel like a lot of the narrative is being pushed to the side because the biggest platform you can use is social media, everyone is behind a computer."

No firm agenda was set, but mutual promises were made to follow through on the pledges.

Despite their fortune and fame, these highly accomplished young men want to get involved in trying to ease the tensions in communities where they know there is a dire need for their ability to community and be role models.