Former Kenyan NFL player Daniel Adongo has been deported from the United States after overstaying his visa and accumulating multiple criminal convictions, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In a statement released on Saturday, ICE said the 37-year-old former Indianapolis Colts linebacker was removed from the U.S. on June 20, following a final deportation order issued on March 23. Authorities said Adongo remained in the country after his visa expired in 2016, a year after his professional football career ended. ICE said Adongo had been arrested several times over the past decade on charges including felony intimidation, battery, disorderly conduct and criminal mischief. The agency described him as a “dangerous individual” and said his removal was carried out under U.S. immigration law.
“Those who violate immigration law are held equally accountable, including former professional athletes,” ICE Chicago Assistant Field Office Director Douglas Thompson said in the statement. Adongo rose to prominence in 2013 after making the rare transition from rugby to American football despite having no prior experience in the sport. He joined the Indianapolis Colts through the NFL’s International Player Pathway and spent two seasons with the franchise before leaving the league in 2015. His legal troubles were compounded by documented mental health challenges. According to the Indianapolis Star, a court ordered psychiatric evaluations after he faced criminal charges in 2017, with judges initially finding him incompetent to stand trial. He was subsequently admitted to a psychiatric hospital, while his family and legal representatives argued that mental illness and injuries sustained during his athletic career contributed to his condition.
ICE said Adongo was later convicted in 2020 of criminal mischief involving property damage and was sentenced to 364 days in prison. The agency also noted that his most recent detention fell under the Laken Riley Act, a law signed by President Donald Trump in January 2025 that requires the detention of undocumented immigrants arrested for certain theft-related or violent offenses while awaiting trial. ICE did not disclose the country to which Adongo was deported, and the former athlete has not publicly commented on the allegations or his removal. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, more than 40 Kenyan nationals have been arrested by ICE in recent immigration enforcement operations.
