Daniel Adongo, a former rugby star who became the first Kenyan to play in the NFL, was deported in June for a visa overstay and multiple arrests, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The 37-year-old spent two seasons as a linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts, playing in two games, and was cut in 2015 after facing domestic violence allegations. His visa expired in 2016, but he remained in the U.S., ICE said in a press statement.
ICE statement and removal
“This dangerous individual was clearly a threat to the community, which is now safer since he’s been removed,” the statement quoted Douglas Thompson, ICE Chicago’s assistant field office director, as saying. “Those who violate immigration law are held equally accountable, including former professional athletes.”
Adongo’s deportation in June followed a federal judge’s removal order signed in March. It is the latest high-profile case in the Trump administration’s campaign of mass expulsions of undocumented people.
Arrests and criminal record
According to ICE, Adongo was arrested multiple times in Indiana over the previous nine years “for crimes including felony intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct.” The statement did not explain why he wasn’t deported earlier for the visa overstay. ICE cited a 2020 conviction for criminal mischief with damage, for which he received a one-year jail sentence.
In December 2015, the Indianapolis Star reported that police responded twice in three months to domestic violence calls at his home, leading to the Colts’ decision to release him.
Supporters of the player argue that his only conviction was a misdemeanor, and that the charges leading to his most recent arrest were dismissed. They also maintain he spent months in harsh conditions in immigration detention, during which his serious mental illness worsened.
Mental health concerns
“Doctors and social workers who worked with him believe he may also be living with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE – an untreatable brain disease caused by repeated head impacts, common among athletes who played contact sports,” said a statement accompanying a petition that tried to prevent his deportation.
ICE never confirmed whether Adongo received mental health treatment during his incarceration, the petition added. “This is not justice,” it said. “He needed a doctor, not a cell.”
Background
Born in Nairobi in 1989, Adongo played professional rugby union in South Africa before moving to the U.S. in 2013 when he was signed by the Colts as an outside linebacker with no football experience. He played in two games before suffering a series of injury setbacks.
His father, Joe Adongo, spoke in 2020 about the mental challenges his son faced after video appeared on social media showing him looking dishevelled and with multiple nasal piercings.
The ICE statement said Adongo faced criminal charges filed under the Laken Riley Act, which requires detention without bond for undocumented immigrants accused of certain crimes.
