Daniel Ogama Adongo, a 37-year-old Kenyan national who briefly played linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts, was deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on June 20 after overstaying his visa since 2016. A Department of Justice immigration judge had ordered his removal in March, with ICE carrying out the deportation from Chicago three months later. The agency confirmed the removal in a statement, framing the case as part of a broader effort to hold individuals accountable for violating immigration law regardless of their background.
An unlikely path to the NFL
Adongo’s route to professional football was unusual from the start. A rugby player in Kenya with no football experience, he signed with the Colts’ practice squad in the summer of 2013, taking on the largely unfamiliar position of off-ball linebacker. He spent months developing on the practice squad before making the 53-man roster late that season, debuting on December 8, 2013, against the Cincinnati Bengals. Over two seasons, Adongo appeared in five games, with the vast majority of his snaps coming on special teams and only a single defensive snap recorded during his brief NFL run.
A release tied to a domestic incident
Adongo’s time with the Colts ended in December 2015, after police were called to investigate a domestic related incident at a residence connected to him. According to a police report, a woman at the home had texted a friend saying she needed help, prompting the friend to contact authorities. When officers arrived, the woman said she did not want medical assistance and could not explain the message she had sent. The Colts released Adongo shortly afterward, following what was reported as a second police call to the same address that December.
A decade of legal trouble
In the years following his release, Adongo was arrested multiple times in Indiana on charges including felony intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct, some of which were later dropped. He was convicted of criminal mischief with damage in 2020 and served a one year sentence. Reports have also referenced additional alleged incidents involving threats made toward an Uber driver and a police officer between 2015 and 2023.
Questions about his mental health
Adongo’s family has reportedly raised concerns over the years about his behavior and mental health following the end of his football career. According to reporting from the Indianapolis Star, Adongo spent months in ICE custody in Indiana before his removal, during which a physician who evaluated him raised concerns that he may have been experiencing acute psychosis, potentially connected to a traumatic brain injury. It is not clear from available reporting what medical follow-up, if any, took place after that evaluation.
The law behind the removal order
Adongo’s most recent charges fell under the Laken Riley Act, a law that requires mandatory detention without bond for immigrants in the country illegally who are convicted of certain crimes. The law was signed by President Trump shortly after he took office in 2025, following the killing of Laken Riley by a man who had previously been cited for shoplifting on a Georgia college campus. ICE Chicago Assistant Field Office Director Douglas Thompson said the removal reflected the agency’s position that accountability under immigration law applies equally, including to former professional athletes.
Part of a larger enforcement push
Adongo’s deportation comes amid a broader increase in immigration enforcement activity nationally. The Trump administration has reported more than 356,000 removals during the current fiscal year, with ICE arrests rising significantly since May. The agency has said that a large share of its arrests involve individuals who have been charged with or convicted of crimes while in the country. It remains unclear whether Adongo has returned to Kenya or what his next steps might be, and he could not be reached for comment.
