A harmless promise turned into a major donation Monday night at Victory Field, where Colts owners Carlie Irsay-Gordon and Kalen Jackson put $100,000 behind a simple condition: if Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton reached base, they would give. Haliburton did, and the money went to the cause.
The moment was captured by The Athletic’s James Boyd, who posted video and wrote, “#Colts owners Carlie-Irsay Gordon and Kalen Jackson just donated $100K since #Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton got on base. Super cool gesture.”
The donation came during the Pacers Foundation Charity Softball Classic, an event that returned after an eight-year break. According to the official Pacers site, the game was designed to raise money and awareness for youth food insecurity in Indiana through the Pacers Foundation’s Drive & Dish program.
Tickets were $10, gates opened at 6 p.m. ET, first pitch came at 7 p.m., and all proceeds went to the foundation.
Former Colts punter Pat McAfee served as emcee.
Haliburton and Colts quarterback Daniel Jones captained the two sides, and the game turned into a lopsided night for Team Haliburton, which won 28-6, per the Pacers’ official account. Jones gave the crowd an early jolt by launching a home run on the second pitch, according to video from reporters on site. Haliburton later got the better of him again, forcing a double play that drew laughs - and a protest - from Jones.
There was more to the night than the scoreboard. Haliburton tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, and Jones suffered the same injury in December 2025.
Both had surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York under Dr. Martin J.
O’Malley, and Haliburton said their shared path has kept them in close contact. On The Pat McAfee Show, he said: “We have the same surgeon, so we’ve talked a lot (throughout) the process.
I was obviously ahead of him, so he has picked my brain a little bit, and I try to help as much as I can.”
Reporters on the field said Haliburton moved freely while playing, a positive sign as he continues to work back. The reunion of the Colts-Pacers celebrity softball game also had some history behind it; previous versions under the Caroline Symmes banner were last held in 2018, according to contemporary reports from the Colts and local coverage.
The event also fit a broader pattern for Indiana’s pro teams this offseason. Earlier this month, the Colts, Pacers, Indiana Fever and Noblesville Boom combined for a $250,000 donation to the American Red Cross for flood relief, with the Colts announcing that the team gave $125,000 and the basketball organizations matched it.
Victory Field drew a sold-out crowd that included fans, players from both franchises, Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and other local athletes. Under the lights, the softball was just part of the show. The bigger story was the gesture, the comeback and the way Indiana’s teams kept showing up for the community.
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