Former NFL player Daniel Ogama Adongo has been deported by ICE.
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The athlete, who is from Kenya, was deported by ICE Chicago on June 20. The agency confirmed the news, saying he overstayed his visa and had a history of arrests.
“Adongo was arrested multiple times by Indiana law enforcement over the past nine years for crimes,” ICE shared in a statement. “Including felony intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct. He was convicted of criminal mischief with damage in 2020 and sentenced to 364 days in jail.”
The government agent further pointed out that Adongo’s most recent criminal charges fall under the Laken Riley Act, which requires the detention, without bond, of illegal aliens for certain crimes.
“Daniel Ogama Adongo, 37, overstayed his visa in 2016 after his NFL career ended in 2015,” the agency continued. “A Department of Justice immigration judge ordered him removed March 23, 2026, and ICE removed him June 20.”
ICE Chicago Assistant Field Office Director Douglas Thompson also shared in a statement, “This dangerous individual was clearly a threat to the community, which is now safer since he’s been removed. Those who violate immigration law are held equally accountable, including former professional athletes.”
Adongo Was the First Kenyan to Play in the NFL
Adongo was recruited as a rugby player. He played for the Colts for two seasons from 2013 to 2015. He was the first Kenyan to play in the NFL. He appeared in five games over three seasons and played one defensive snap.
The Colts waived him in December 2015 just days after a reported domestic disturbance at his residence.
In court records obtained by the Indianapolis Star, it was revealed that Adongo has had multiple run-ins with the law during and after his time with the Indianapolis Colts.
He was also found incompetent to stand trial multiple times. His attorneys previously stated he might have sustained a traumatic brain injury while playing football and rugby. They cited a 2020 report from a doctor describing him as “acutely psychotic with traumatic brain injury.”
The legal team also said he had a mental illness, which led to his multiple arrests. A mental health social worker, who worked with Adongo for years, said he suffered from an “undisclosed mental illness which is highly speculated to be Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE.” Repeated head injuries cause such a brain condition.