Porsha Williams’ ex-husband, Kordell Stewart, made a name for himself in the NFL and is now making headlines for an HBO original documentary. Now, Stewart is revisiting a damaging rumor in the documentary, bringing the story back into the spotlight.
Kordell Stewart addresses old NFL rumor in documentary
The documentary series Kordell Stewart: Slash & Burn recently premiered, prompting the former NFL star to speak with The Hollywood Reporter. During the interview, Stewart discussed his career and hopes of making it into the Hall of Fame. He also addressed an old NFL rumor in the documentary.
Stewart said, “That’s the part that I hear so many people say: ‘Why would you want to talk about that?’ Not everybody knew about it, but it impacted my career.”
The 54-year-old, who identifies as straight, stayed silent about the rumor during his playing career. Publicly denying it so strongly could have fueled further speculation. One thing was certain: addressing the rumor wouldn’t help him on the field, so why waste time worrying about it?
“I never had a chance to really express this,” Stewart said, describing the short film directed by Brian Rivera as “unique and cathartic.” He continued, “This was needed, bro. It needed to be said because I think all the fans that wore my jersey that were bullied back in the day — to my family members — had to answer questions.”
For context, the former Steelers quarterback finished his NFL career with 77 passing touchdowns and 84 interceptions. However, Stewart’s career also unfolded amid a damaging and false controversy that reportedly took a mental toll on him.
A fabricated rumor claimed that police had arrested him for engaging in inappropriate behavior with a man at a local park. No police records supported the allegation, but the rumor spread rapidly in the 1990s, even without social media. As a result, some Steelers fans racially abused Stewart at his own stadium, worsening his mental strain.
