Federal immigration officials have officially confirmed the deportation of former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Daniel Adongo. The 37-year-old, a Kenyan rugby convert whose 2013 signing marked one of the most unconventional roster experiments in NFL history, was removed from the United States on June 20. His departure concludes a turbulent decade characterized by various arrests, courtroom appearances, and stays in psychiatric hospitals.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Adongo had been held in custody for several months without bond under the Laken Riley Act. A Justice Department immigration judge issued the removal order in March. ICE officials stated that Adongo overstayed his visa in 2016, the year after his professional football career concluded, and characterized him as a "dangerous" individual. Douglas Thompson, the ICE Chicago assistant field office director, stated that those who violate immigration law are held equally accountable, including former professional athletes. ICE has not disclosed the specific location to which Adongo was deported.
Adongo’s legal record includes a 2020 conviction for criminal mischief, a Class A misdemeanor that resulted in a 364-day jail sentence. While he faced other arrests for intimidation, battery, and disorderly conduct, those charges were ultimately dismissed. Court records reviewed by the Indianapolis Star indicate that judges found Adongo incompetent to stand trial on two separate occasions. In one filing, Dr. Jason Jaronik noted that Adongo was acutely psychotic and raised the possibility of a traumatic brain injury sustained during his playing career. His mother, Betty Adongo, had previously requested that the court release her son for medical evaluation. Family members and social workers have expressed their belief that his illness is linked to injuries suffered as an athlete, though no such link can be confirmed in a living patient. Attempts to reach Betty Adongo for comment were unsuccessful.
Adongo was 23 years old and playing Super Rugby in South Africa when then-Colts general manager Ryan Grigson signed him in July 2013. Having never watched a football game, Adongo spent his first season learning the sport on the practice field. Over three seasons, he appeared in five games and played one defensive snap, earning approximately $694,000. The Indianapolis Colts waived him in December 2015, one week after police were called to his home regarding a reported domestic disturbance. That incident was the second such call in two months, though no charges were filed in either case.
