When a professional athlete pulls off the almost impossible—jumping from international rugby to the NFL—you’ve got the ingredients for a remarkable success story. It’s the kind of journey sports fans love. Different sport. Different continent. Different rules. Long odds.
Daniel Adongo looked like he might become one of those stories.
Instead, his path took a very different turn.
Years after his NFL career came to an end, the former Indianapolis Colts linebacker has reportedly been deported from the United States by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after authorities said he overstayed his visa and accumulated a lengthy criminal record.
According to Fox News, ICE officers in Chicago removed the 37-year-old Kenyan national after determining he had remained in the country illegally since his visa expired in 2016.
Now, stay with me, because this wasn’t simply about immigration paperwork.
Adongo’s football career had already unraveled years earlier.
Born in Kenya, he first gained attention as a standout rugby player before attempting one of the most difficult transitions in professional sports—moving to the National Football League. ESPN chronicled his unlikely rise after the Colts signed him despite his limited football experience, banking on his rare athletic ability and physical tools.
Most of his time with Indianapolis was spent on the practice squad as he learned the game from scratch. He eventually earned opportunities on special teams, but consistent playing time never materialized, and the NFL dream proved short-lived.
Then came trouble off the field.
In 2015, Indianapolis police responded to a home Adongo shared with a woman after officers received information that she had sent a text message to a friend asking for help. That friend contacted authorities, who went to the residence to conduct a welfare check.
According to reports at the time, the woman declined medical treatment and did not explain why she had sent the message.
As the situation unfolded, the Colts acknowledged they were aware of reports involving a possible criminal investigation.
“The Indianapolis Colts are aware of media reports regarding a possible criminal investigation of Daniel Adongo,” the team said in a statement. “As is evident from the reports, the facts relating to the alleged incident are highly uncertain. We are investigating the matter and until we have gathered clear information, it would be unfair to all concerned for us to make any public comment.”
Not long afterward, Indianapolis released him.
That wasn’t the end of Adongo’s legal problems.
Over the following years, authorities arrested him multiple times on various charges, including felony intimidation, battery, and disorderly conduct, according to reports. In 2020, he was convicted of criminal mischief involving property damage and received a one-year jail sentence.
For immigration authorities, those incidents became part of a larger enforcement action.
In announcing his removal, an ICE official said, “This dangerous individual was clearly a threat to the community, which is now safer since he’s been removed. Those who violate immigration law are held equally accountable, including former professional athletes.”
The agency also tied the case to the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement strategy.
“Since Day One, DHS law enforcement has been delivering on President Trump’s promise to the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, child sex abusers, gang members, and terrorists,” ICE said in a statement.
The agency added that nearly 70 percent of ICE arrests involve illegal immigrants who have been charged with or convicted of crimes in the United States and reiterated its message that those who violate immigration laws will face arrest and removal.
