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A former rugby player who made history as the first Kenyan to play in the NFL has been deported from the United States after nearly a decade of immigration violations and repeated run-ins with the law.
Daniel Ogama Adongo, 37, who spent two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, was removed to Kenya on 20 June, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed in a statement released on Saturday. An immigration judge ordered his deportation on 23 March, and he remained in ICE custody at the Miami Correctional Facility until his removal, according to the Indianapolis Star.
Adongo’s journey to the NFL was anything but typical. Born in Nairobi, he played professional rugby in South Africa and New Zealand before making the unlikely switch to American football. The Colts signed him in 2013 despite his lack of experience in the sport, making him the first Kenyan to reach the NFL. He appeared in five games, mainly on special teams, across two seasons before the team released him.
His release in December 2015 came shortly after police responded to a domestic disturbance at a home in suburban Indianapolis. Officers had been called after a woman living with Adongo texted a friend asking for help. When police arrived, she declined medical assistance and could not explain why she had sent the message.
According to immigration officials, Adongo’s visa expired in 2016, but he remained in the United States unlawfully for almost 10 years. During that time, he was arrested several times in Indiana on charges including felony intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct. In 2020, he was convicted of criminal mischief involving property damage and sentenced to 364 days in jail, ICE said.
ICE Chicago Assistant Field Office Director Douglas Thompson said the deportation showed that immigration laws apply to everyone, regardless of their background.
“Those who violate immigration law are held equally accountable, including former professional athletes,” Thompson said. “This dangerous individual was clearly a threat to the community, which is now safer since he’s been removed.”
The deportation was carried out under the Laken Riley Act, legislation signed by President Donald Trump early in his second term that requires undocumented immigrants arrested on theft or violent crime charges to be detained without bond. Named after a Georgia nursing student murdered in 2024, the law forms part of the administration’s wider immigration crackdown. The Department of Homeland Security said nearly 70 per cent of ICE arrests involve people who have been charged with or convicted of crimes in the United States.
Adongo’s family and former legal representatives have painted a different picture, arguing that mental illness and a possible brain injury linked to his sporting career contributed to his decline. Court records show a judge ordered a psychiatric evaluation following intimidation and criminal mischief charges in 2017. The assessment found Adongo unfit to stand trial, leading to treatment at a psychiatric hospital and repeated delays in his case. Attorneys who previously represented him did not respond to requests for comment, and it is not known where he has settled since returning to Kenya.
His deportation comes as more Kenyan nationals face immigration enforcement in the United States. Homeland Security records indicate that more than 40 Kenyans have been arrested by ICE as part of the agency’s ongoing operations.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah
