Michael Pittman Jr. galloped along the sidelines, arms raised in the air in celebration.

"Technique and discipline," the wide receiver yelled. "Technique and discipline!"

Pittman's jubilant reaction came after an impressive interception as his team took away a touchdown, then promptly turned around and scored a touchdown of their own.

On the other end of the field, Adonai Mitchell jumped onto the field, paper in his hands as he directed players on the field and in the huddle.

"I like what I'm seeing," he yelled as he moved along the sidelines, his eyes never coming off the field.

Neither of the wide receivers were coaching or cheering for their fellow Colts teammates, though. It wasn't a Sunday and they weren't at an NFL Stadium.

Instead, it was a Tuesday evening, they were on the field at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center and they were cheering for the teams playing in the Colts Unified Flag Classic.

Tuesday evening marked the fourth annual Colts Unified Flag Classic, in which the Colts hosted an IHSAA-sanctioned flag football doubleheader between local high schools of Lawrence Central, Whiteland, Hamilton Southeastern and Westfield.

Unified Sports is a program first developed by the Special Olympics to give students with and without intellectual disabilities opportunities to participate in team sports together and collectively represent their school in sanctioned activities in an inclusive and competitive environment. Special Olympics has trained youth leaders and educators to create more inclusive schools around the world, fostering an environment of acceptance and inclusion while breaking stereotypes about people with intellectual disabilities.

Currently there are over 10,000 schools across the United States, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico that are Unified Champion Schools, with as many as 19.5 million students participating in various sports and activities.

Since 2022, the Colts have partnered with Special Olympics Indiana and the Indiana High School Athletic Association to host various local Indianapolis high school flag football teams on the same field their favorite football players practice on every day. And it doesn't stop there – Colts players show up on the sidelines to cheer and help coach, and unified cheerleaders are joined by Colts cheerleaders for a special halftime performance.

A total of 10 Colts players participated in the event on Tuesday; Pittman and Mitchell were joined by fellow wide receivers Ashton Dulin, Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, Coleman Owen, Laquon Treadwell, Tyler Scott and Anthony Gould, with linebacker Anthony Walker rounding out the group.

"It was a good job by everybody coming and supporting the event," Pierce said. "It's a cool event they do. It's cool to hear that (Unified Flag is) a sanctioned high school sport. They take it seriously."

While Unified Flag is already a sanctioned sport, the Colts have made significant efforts to promote girls' high school flag football with the goal of it also becoming a sanctioned sport in Indiana.

Tuesday was a chance for Pierce and his teammates to give back and make an impact off the football field – one of many opportunities Colts players have throughout the season, through the organization's "Community Tuesday" outreach program.

"It's kind of what it's all about," Pierce – who hosts his own youth football camp in the offseason – said. "Being in this position, you're able to have that type of impact and it's a really special thing, and something I don't take for granted."

And while the focus is on how the Colts can give back to their community, the community also gives back to the players.

As Owen stood on the sidelines watching on Tuesday, he was reminded of himself; the rookie wide receiver grew up playing flag football as a kid, and that's what inspired him to start playing tackle football. After a highly impressive and record-setting collegiate career at Ohio University, he's now a member of the Colts' practice squad and on his way to living out his younger self's dream.

"It was cool to watch, be on the other side," Owen said. "Because I know how fun that is, and that's where you learn the techniques and fundamentals of football. So it was just fun to get out and see the community.

"I never had any of those opportunities to meet NFL players when I was playing, when I was young. But I know that means a lot to those kids. We got a lot of good guys in the wide receiver room who were wanting to do that – it wasn't something that we were all forced to do, it was something that we all wanted."