Daniel Adongo's journey to the NFL once embodied one of sports' most unlikely success stories. A standout rugby player from Kenya with no organized American football experience, he became the first Kenyan-born athlete to play in a regular-season NFL game after signing with the Indianapolis Colts in 2013. More than a decade later, his story has taken a dramatically different turn, ending with deportation from the United States after years marked by mental health struggles, legal troubles and immigration violations.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that Adongo, 37, was deported to Kenya on June 20 after an immigration judge ordered his removal. ICE said the former linebacker had remained in the United States after his visa expired in 2016 and cited his criminal history as grounds for deportation. The agency said he had been convicted of criminal mischief in 2020 and had previously been arrested on charges including domestic battery, intimidation and disorderly conduct. Those arrests did not all result in convictions.
But behind the legal proceedings is a story that family members say was shaped by a severe mental health decline following the end of his football career.
According to court records and relatives interviewed by multiple media outlets, Adongo began exhibiting increasingly erratic behavior several years after leaving the NFL. In 2017, an Indiana judge found him mentally incompetent to stand trial in a criminal case and ordered him committed to a state psychiatric hospital for treatment. He was later restored to competency after receiving mental health care.
Members of Adongo's family have said they believe untreated mental illness, rather than criminal intent, fueled much of the behavior that led to repeated encounters with law enforcement. They have described a dramatic personality change in the years after his playing career ended and have expressed concern that he struggled to access consistent mental health treatment.
Adongo's athletic rise had once captured international attention. After playing rugby in Kenya, South Africa and New Zealand, he was discovered through the NFL's international scouting efforts and signed by the Colts despite never having played organized football. His exceptional size and athleticism earned him a place on Indianapolis' roster, and he appeared in five regular-season games, becoming the first Kenyan to play in the NFL.
His professional football career ended in 2015, and the years that followed were marked by repeated arrests, court proceedings and mental health evaluations.
ICE officials said Adongo's deportation followed the completion of his immigration case and emphasized that the agency enforces immigration laws against individuals who remain in the country illegally and have criminal convictions. The agency transported him to Kenya after his removal order became final. (
Adongo has not publicly commented since his return to Kenya.
