Former Kenyan NFL Player Deported After Visa Overstay

A former professional football player who became the first Kenyan-born athlete to appear in an NFL regular-season game has been deported from the United States following a criminal conviction and visa overstay. Daniel Ogama Adongo, 37, was removed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from Chicago on June 20, the agency confirmed.

Adongo, a former outside linebacker and special teams player for the Indianapolis Colts, had been in ICE custody since his arrest on September 11, 2025. He was held at the Miami Correctional Facility in Indiana under provisions of the Laken Riley Act, which mandates detention without bond for certain noncitizens convicted of specific crimes. A Department of Justice immigration judge issued a final order for his removal in March, which was executed in June.

ICE officials stated that Adongo overstayed his visa beginning in 2016. His criminal record includes a 2020 conviction for criminal mischief involving property damage, for which he was sentenced to 364 days in jail, serving six months. Law enforcement had also arrested him on other charges over the years, including felony intimidation, battery, and disorderly conduct, though many of those...