By Prudence Minayo
Kenya has produced some of the best athletes, footballers and rugby players, some of whom have or were signed by big international teams due to their prowess in the field and Daniel Adongo is one such person. From an early age, he loved sports and during his primary and secondary years played different kinds of sports and was even the best sportsperson in his secondary school. Later, he became a professional rugby player and was signed by a team from South Africa. He then proceeded to play for NFL, a feat that no other Kenyan had achieved but unfortunately he disappeared from the radar following domestic violence allegations.
Recently, there have been videos doing rounds on social media platforms showing his sorry state. This was after a vital video of him in a sorry state and puffing went viral. Kenyans on Twitter have had so much to say about him but one thing people agree on is that he is not in a good mental state as most concluded after going through his Instagram page.
Age
Daniel was born on 12th October 1989.
Education
For his primary school Adongo went to Strathmore School where his love for rugby began. He then joined Strathmore Secondary School where he began representing his school and was the school’s top track athlete and played football, basketball and rugby.
Career
The sportsman loved sports and played for Strathmore School. In 2006, he came under the notice of South African scouts at the 2006 safari sevens tournament.
In 2007, he joined the Sharks Academy where he progressed from the under-19 level in 2008 to under-21 in 2010.
In the 2010 Vodacom cup, he was included in the sharks XV squad but did not play in any match. He made his debut in the 2011 Vodacom Cup competition in the season’s first match where his team won. In the 2011 Currie Cup Premier Division he did not play any game despite being included in the Sharks squad.
When 2011 came to an end, he joined Blue Bulls and featured in the 2012 Vodacom cup then left to join New Zealand ITM cup team counties Manukau prior to the 2012 ITM cup and played his first match against Southland.
In 2013, Daniel signed with Southern Kings from Counties Manukau for the 2013 Super Rugby season. In the first match he was a substitute that did not get to play but the following week played his first match when he came as a substitute in a match against Sharks. He then played domestic rugby, still in South Africa, after that.
In the 2013 Vodacom cup, he played three matches for the Eastern Province Kings. Unfortunately the season came to an end when he sustained an injury.
The injury put him out of sports as he took time to recover then got a chance to join the Indiana Colts of the National Football League 25th July 2013 which is a top professional league in American football. He became the first Kenyan to be signed by the NFL. The deal was rumored to be worth about $216 million. He was signed after pictures of him training caught the attention of the scouts and coaches of the team. They flew to South Africa and offered him a chance with one of the tests being a broad jump. During his first jump, he managed to do 11 feet, something that was a great achievement.
The General Manager. Ryan Grigson said the organisation was happy with the acquisition and went on to describe that he was an elite athlete with what it took to become a footballer.
“ He is not only an elite athlete and rising international rugby player, but he is an exceptional competitor and human being that has the right makeup for our sport. We all look forward to watching his growth and development in the ensuing weeks,” he was quoted by Kenya page.
The elite athlete spent time as a member of the Colts’ practice squad before being elevated in December 2013 to the active roster. He played two games for the team before the end of 2013. Although his performance was not very good, he was a committed player and the coaches loved him.
In August 2014, he was waived by the team after receiving a bicep injury.
Two reports of domestic violence were made against him and due to this he was permanently waived by the team on 17th December 2015.
