A former NFL player from Kenya has been deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency announced.
Daniel Ogama Adongo, 37, was removed from the U.S. on June 20 after ICE said he overstayed his visa in 2016 – the same year his NFL career ended.
His removal was ordered by an immigration judge in March. Before his deportation, Adongo, 36, was held at Miami Correctional Facility.
Adongo went from being a former rugby player to the first Kenyan to play in the NFL when he was signed by the Indianapolis Colts in 2013. He appeared in five games in the two seasons he played for the team.
ICE says that in addition to the visa issue, Adongo had a string of criminal convictions against him.
In 2020, he was convicted of criminal mischief with damage, a misdemeanor, and was sentenced to 364 days in jail, according to NBC News. He ended up serving six months in county jail.
ICE also says that he faced other charges, including felony intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct, for which he was not convicted and they were dismissed.
“This dangerous individual was clearly a threat to the community, which is now safer since he’s been removed,” ICE Chicago Assistant Field Office Director Douglas Thompson said in a statement. “Those who violate immigration law are held equally accountable, including former professional athletes.”
Lawyers for Adongo have previously linked his arrests to mental illness and said he was diagnosed as “acutely psychotic with traumatic brain injury,” reported the Indianapolis Star.
In 2017, Adongo spent time at a psychiatric facility after a judge ruled him incompetent following a psychiatric examination, according to the newspaper.
His family has also said they believe he developed mental health issues from playing contact sports.
