NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson presented four Los Angeles Police Dept. officers with tickets to the Super Bowl on Saturday to honor their commitment toward supporting underprivileged youth in Los Angeles.
Officers Grant Goosby, James Holliman, Zarren Thompson and Otis Swift were presented with the tickets during a ceremony before Saturday's NFC Wild Card Playoff Game between the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The four officers are founders and coaches for the Watts Bears -- a youth football program that serves children in South Central Los Angeles neighborhoods. Created by LAPD officers from the Southeast Division, the officers coach and mentor student-athletes in football and track and field.
The athletic teams were created to give underprivileged youth a chance to play organized sports and to positively change the historically strained relationship between the police and the community of Watts. To be eligible to participate, the student-athletes have to meet standards in school, stay out of trouble and possess a desire to positively contribute to society.
The officers -- along with other volunteer coaches and mentors in involved in the program -- use sports as a vehicle to introduce and promote strong moral character, positive values, personal responsibility and a commitment to academics. They stress structure, discipline, team spirit, friendship, and positive competition.
For their dedication to the community, officers Goosby, Holliman, Thompson and Swift will have an opportunity to attend Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis on Feb. 4.
