From NFL glory to deportation: The tragic fall of Daniel Adongo

In December 2013, Daniel Ogama Adongo made history as the first Kenyan to play in NFL. Standing at 6ft 5in tall and weighing more than 250 pounds, the former professional rugby star took to the field in the navy and white colours of the Indianapolis Colts.

He became a symbol of raw athletic talent and limitless potential, a trailblazer who made the extraordinary leap from southern-hemisphere rugby to the high-stakes world of the National Football League without ever having played a single down of American football.

Thirteen years later, the triumph ended in heartbreak. On June 20, 37-year-old Adongo was deported from US. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents placed him on a flight to Nairobi, bringing to a close a decade-long downward spiral marked by mental illness, legal troubles and homelessness.

“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,” said ICE Chicago Assistant Field Office Director Douglas Thompson.

Born in Nairobi, Adongo was a gifted athlete whose physique and power made him stand out. He rose through the ranks in South Africa, playing for elite sides such as the Sharks, Bulls and Eastern Province Kings before moving to New Zealand to join Counties Manukau. In 2013, scouts from the Indianapolis Colts spotted Adongo’s raw athleticism.

His transition to American football was hailed as an extraordinary experiment. He made history as the first Kenyan to play in the NFL, appearing in five regular-season games over two seasons, mainly on special teams.

Adongo’s American dream came to an abrupt end in late 2015. Police responded to reports of a domestic dispute at his Indianapolis home involving a woman who was living with him. Although he was not arrested and denied any wrongdoing, the Colts waived him shortly afterwards, effectively ending his NFL career.

Adongo’s visa expired in 2016, but instead of returning home, he remained in the United States without legal status, slipping into increasing isolation.

In August 2020, public concern grew after videos of a dramatically changed Adongo went viral on social media. The former elite athlete appeared dishevelled and distressed, with numerous facial piercings, while making incoherent remarks about unusual spiritual beliefs. The footage shocked many Kenyans and the global sporting community, sparking wider conversations about athletes’ mental health and the lack of support for contact-sport players after retirement

Behind the arrests and public alarm lay a serious mental health crisis. Over the years, Adongo was arrested several times in Indiana on allegations ranging from felony intimidation and battery to disorderly conduct.

While most of the charges were eventually dismissed by the courts, he was convicted of misdemeanour criminal mischief in 2020 after damaging property and served six months in county jail. His defence attorneys and medical professionals stressed his legal troubles were symptoms of deep-seated neurological and psychiatric trauma.

According to a psychiatric assessment in 2017, court documents cited by the Indianapolis Star revealed a judge declared Adongo legally incompetent following an evaluation, leading to his temporary commitment to a psychiatric facility.

In 2020, medical records from St Joseph Regional Medical Centre showed that Adongo had been diagnosed as “acutely psychotic with traumatic brain injury (TBI)” by evaluators. Social workers and medical examiners treating him also noted that he may have suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain condition associated with repeated head impacts. His family believed the dramatic changes in his behaviour and mental health were directly linked to head injuries sustained during his years in high-impact contact sports.

Family members, including his father, Joseph Adongo, periodically tried to intervene from afar, navigating foreign legal and medical systems in an effort to get Daniel the help he needed.

“The process to resolve the difficulties our beloved son is going through is underway. It is understandable that such a situation can befall any young person,” his father said in August 2020.

However, without a strong and consistent support network on the ground, Adongo continued to fall through the cracks of the healthcare and legal systems.

Detention

Adongo’s decade-long stay in America came to an end when federal authorities detained him under the Laken Riley Act, a federal law that requires the detention without bond of certain non-citizens convicted of qualifying offences. He was held at the Miami Correctional Facility in Indiana as immigration proceedings progressed. On March 23, a Department of Justice immigration judge ordered his removal, paving the way for his formal deportation on June 20.

While US authorities viewed Adongo’s removal through the narrow lens of public safety and immigration enforcement, his return home has evoked a different set of emotions —compassion, concern and questions about how best to support him.