Colts cheerleader uses sign language so child could hear at game, viral video
A lesson inclusion went viral in a social media video as a Colts cheerleader communicated through sign language with a child at his first game.
Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts cheerleader Morgan is proficient in American Sign Language and uses it to connect with fans.She met 8-year-old Mark at Sunday’s Colts game who recently moved to the city to attend the Indiana School for the Deaf. The two had a beautiful conversation using ASL.Since the encounter, Morgan said she has gotten messages from all over the world, people thanking her for bringing awareness to inclusion and for championing the differences that exist.
INDIANAPOLIS — Mark Braster III walked onto the field at Lucas Oil Stadium for his first NFL game wearing his favorite No. 28 Jonathan Taylor jersey, and he was smiling. But, he couldn’t hear the cheers, the raucous crowds, the booming music or the electric announcer welcoming fans as the Colts faced the Las Vegas Raiders.
Not until a Colts cheerleader came Mark’s way and started speaking his language.
Mark recently moved with his mom, Veronica Ochoa, to the city to attend the Indiana School for the Deaf. Before Sunday’s game, his mom posted to TikTok that she was taking Mark to experience the magic of professional gridiron mania. And she had a plea.
“Mark needs to be on the field. We need some field passes y’all. We need to meet the team,” Ochoa posted. “I’m a single mom. This is gonna be big for Mark. Thank you all.”
Someone in the Colts franchise saw Ochoa’s post and had an idea, a wonderful idea. The team would get Mark field passes so he could meet, not only the players, but their Colts cheerleader Morgan, who knows American Sign Language.
Morgan is a doctorate student in occupational therapy at IU Indy who thrives on connecting with people, especially kids, who have special needs. When Morgan heard about Mark, she was all in.
And so before Sunday’s game, in a heartwarming, beautiful exchange on the field that has gone viral, Mark and Morgan showed the world that the language of understanding one another is universal.
“ASL is such a beautiful language,” Morgan, 23, told IndyStar. Her last name is not being used per the Colts cheerleader privacy policy. “And it is such a different language to be able to express your emotions and your feelings with your hands instead of your voice.”
At Sunday’s game, neither Mark nor Morgan needed to speak as they communicated about the players warming up on the field, as Morgan asked Mark if he likes school, as Mark pointed to the autographed Colts cheerleaders photo he was given and saw that the woman he was talking to was staring back at him from the page.
“Can you find me?” Morgan signed to Mark, pointing to herself and then to the other cheerleaders. “That’s me and that’s all my friends.”
Mark smiled. He signed “thank you” to Morgan. He spelled out his name with his hands.
“He gets excited,” Ochoa told Morgan as the two interacted, “when he sees other people signing.”
Of course, this was exciting. Here was someone who spoke Mark’s language at his very first NFL game.
Since the encounter, Morgan said she has gotten messages from all over the world, people thanking her for bringing awareness to inclusion and for championing the differences that exist.
Morgan has been a bit taken aback. She had no idea this would resonate that way. The video of her and Mark on TikTok has more than a million views.
“It’s just crazy to me because what seemed like such a small moment on game day that was obviously impactful to me and Mark has turned into a bigger discussion of inclusivity and accessibility within sports and the NFL and the Deaf community,” she said. “And I’m happy to be a small part of it.
“It was such a really sweet and special moment.”
‘These interactions are the best part of my job’
Morgan fell in love with American Sign Language at Indiana University as an undergrad majoring in exercise science and minoring in ASL where she also fell in love with dancing for the Hoosiers football team as a RedStepper.
Dancing is a way to express emotions without words. Sign language is a way of expression without words.
Growing up in Greenwood, Morgan was raised a Colts fan. She started dancing at 2 years old — ballet, tap, jazz and musical theater. Once in high school, she joined the dance team.
“And the second I stepped out on a football field for the first time, I was like, ‘Oh, I want to do this,'” Morgan said. “‘This is where I see myself.'”
Morgan’s high school dance coach also happened to be a Colts cheerleader at the time.
“I was able to see her journey with Colts cheer. And she always talked so highly of the program, so highly of the women on the team and the staffing,” she said. “And I knew that the organization and the program would be amazing to be a part of one day.”
High school is when Morgan’s dream of being an NFL cheerleader was born.
Once at IU as a RedStepper on the dance team for four years, two years as captain, Morgan’s coach was also a former Colts cheerleader who had nothing but wonderful things to say about NFL cheering.
Morgan spent her four years in college focused on training and preparing to one day make the Colts squad. She also spent her years at IU studying ASL. Morgan’s aunt was a sign language interpreter and, growing up, she would teach Morgan signs.
“And I was always fascinated by it,” Morgan said. “And people always tell me that I talk with my hands a lot. So I think I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I’ll be good at sign language.'”
When she took her first ASL class her sophomore year in college, Morgan’s fascination with the language grew. She took six semesters of ASL, as well as a syntax course and a Deaf cultures class.
As she graduated from IU, Morgan went for her dream and auditioned to be a Colts cheerleader. She made the team and, for the past two seasons, her dance world has collided with her love of ASL.
Morgan had a junior cheerleader on her squad last season who was deaf. At Touchdown Town before a game last year, a fan who was deaf approached the Colts cheerleaders table.
“And he was a little bit nervous about coming up. And he was just gesturing in any way that he could that he wasn’t going to be able to talk to us. And then when the rest of my squad realized, they were all so excited for me,” Morgan said. “And I was like, ‘Oh my goodness. I know ASL.’ And his face lit up. He was so excited to be able to sign with me.”
Morgan wants to make clear she is proficient in ASL, but “I’m by no means an interpreter because that’s a certification, and that’s important that you are able to interpret properly for those who need it.”
And she also wants to make clear that her job as a Colts cheerleader is so much more than dancing.
“I think a lot of people, when they think about NFL cheerleaders or Colts cheerleaders, they are like, ‘Oh yeah, they dance on game days,’ which of course is a big part of our job,” she said. “Arguably, more importantly, these interactions are the best part of the job. And, you know, Mark is just one person, but to be able to make one person feel that way is just so special.
“Being able to make individuals feel seen and heard and appreciated is such a special gift.”
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.  Â