U.S. Deports Former Colts Linebacker Daniel Adongo to Kenya Over Visa Violations
ICE Chicago Assistant Field Office Director Douglas Thompson defended the removal, describing Adongo as a public safety risk.
Photo: Courtesy.
By Yvone Jeptarus
U.S. immigration authorities have deported former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Daniel Ogama Adongo to Kenya after a federal judge ordered his removal over visa violations and a string of arrests.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that a Department of Justice immigration judge ordered Adongo removed on March 23, 2026, and the agency carried out the deportation on June 20, ending a long legal battle over his immigration status.
Adongo, 37, who made history as the first Kenyan to play in the National Football League (NFL), had overstayed his visa in 2016, a year after his NFL career ended with the Colts. According to immigration records, he remained in the United States unlawfully for nearly a decade before being taken into ICE custody.
Officials say that during that period, Adongo racked up several run-ins with law enforcement in Indiana, including a 2020 conviction for criminal mischief with damage that earned him a 364-day jail sentence. Police reports from previous years also linked him to other incidents, although not all resulted in convictions.
ICE Chicago Assistant Field Office Director Douglas Thompson defended the removal, describing Adongo as a public safety risk.
“This dangerous individual was clearly a threat to the community, which is now safer since he’s been removed,” Thompson said in a statement. “Those who violate immigration law are held equally accountable, including former professional athletes.”
Adongo’s journey to the NFL was unconventional and historic. Born in Nairobi, he first made his name as a rugby player, representing Kenya at junior level before moving to South Africa where he played for the Sharks Academy and the Southern Kings. He later moved to New Zealand to play for the Counties Manukau Steelers before being scouted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2013 despite having never played organized American football.
The Colts signed him as an outside linebacker as part of their International Player Pathway, and he played two seasons from 2013 to 2015, appearing in regular season games and becoming a fan favorite for his raw athleticism and inspiring backstory. He was waived by the Colts in December 2015 after an off-field incident.
Since then, his life has been marked by legal and personal struggles. His attorneys have previously linked his troubles to underlying mental health struggles, including bipolar disorder and the challenges of transitioning from professional sports, though ICE has not commented on those claims.
His deportation brings to an end a nearly 10-year overstay and closes a chapter on one of Kenya’s most high-profile sporting exports. Adongo arrived in Nairobi last week and is expected to remain in Kenya under the terms of his removal order, which bars him from re-entering the United States for at least 10 years.
The case highlights the U.S. government’s intensified enforcement of immigration laws under the current administration, with ICE emphasizing that immigration violations, combined with criminal convictions, will result in removal regardless of a person’s former celebrity status.
For many in Kenya, Adongo remains a trailblazer who opened the door for other African rugby players to dream of the NFL, even as his post-football journey serves as a cautionary tale about the mental health and immigration challenges facing international athletes after their careers end.
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