NFL's Peter Boulware: I Can Help At Spring Valley High ... I Went There

NFL great Peter Boulware says he can help ease tensions at a South Carolina high school where a cop is under fire for his treatment of an unarmed black student ... because he went there.

A 15 second clip of sheriff's deputy Ben Fields getting physical with a black female student at Spring Valley High School in SC went viral Monday ... sparking outrage from some who call it police brutality.

Boulware -- a Columbia native -- was a star at SVHS back in the '90s ... and says he's willing to bring all the parties together to discuss the issue ... so that Twitter tensions don't turn into civil unrest.

"I'd like to reach out to both parties, the cop and the girl to figure out why it happened. Once we get an understanding of it we can solve issues like it. We just have to be patient."

Peter adds that while he completely supports law enforcement and the tough job cops have to do every day, it's hard not to watch the video and NOT think that the officer went too far.

"Just from what I see on the video ... with the amount of information I have, there could've been a better way where less force was used."

Peter adds, "With the young lady sitting at her desk like that, I just think it could have been done in a better way then kinda throwing her across the room."