U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported former NFL player Daniel Adongo, who spent several months at the Miami Correctional Facility in Indiana. Adongo, a Kenyan-born former linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts, was removed from the United States on June 20, according to reports.
"This dangerous individual was clearly a threat to the community, which is now safer since he's been removed," said ICE Chicago assistant field office director Douglas Thompson in a statement to Fox News. "Those who violate immigration law are held equally accountable, including former professional athletes."
Adongo arrived in the U.S. 13 years ago on an NFL opportunity with the Colts. He played five games for the team across three seasons after signing with them in 2013. He was placed on injured reserve in 2014 and played three more games in 2015 before being waived. His NFL career concluded in late 2015 following an incident where police were called to his home.
Legal Troubles and Mental Health Concerns
Following his departure from the NFL, Adongo reportedly faced numerous legal challenges. In 2016, he was suspended by the NFL after an investigation. Shortly after, he was arrested in Indianapolis and charged with intimidation and criminal mischief for allegedly threatening an Uber driver with a hatchet.
In 2017, a court ordered a psychiatric examination for Adongo, who was later deemed incompetent to stand trial and sent to a psychiatric facility. He was eventually cleared to stand trial, but his legal issues continued. He was arrested in 2019 for failing to attend a court hearing and was transferred to the Indiana Department of Correction due to a schizophrenia diagnosis and refusal to medicate.
Adongo was later cleared to stand trial again and pleaded guilty to criminal mischief, a Class A misdemeanor, receiving a six-month jail sentence. Further charges, including battery, disorderly conduct, and intimidation, were brought in subsequent years but were ultimately dismissed. Last summer, he was accused of threatening a police officer. His lawyer cited his mental illness, including a 2020 report describing him as "acutely psychotic" with traumatic brain injury, as a factor.
A mental health social worker noted Adongo was suffering from a mental illness, widely speculated to be Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated head trauma. Adongo was booked into the St. Joseph County Jail on July 27, 2025, before being moved to ICE custody. He was initially held at Clay County Jail before being transferred to the Miami Correctional Facility. The charges were later dismissed in 2025.