Kordell Stewart revisits unverified 1998 rumors in new HBO Max documentary

Kordell Stewart’s 2001 season saw him lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to the AFC Championship Game, but a new documentary argues that an unverified rumor in 1998 altered the trajectory of his career. The film, titled Kordell Stewart/Slash & Burn, premiered on HBO Max on October 27.

The production, a Skydance Sports effort in partnership with NFL Films, chronicles Stewart’s evolution from a multifaceted offensive player to a starting quarterback. It then focuses on his benching and the subsequent rebound season. A central theme of the film is the off-field chatter that surrounded Stewart during his eight years with the Steelers.

Unsubstantiated reports circulated in the late 1990s that Stewart was arrested for lewd acts with another man in Schenley Park. The original source of the rumor was identified in the documentary only as an unspecified Pittsburgh police officer. That individual was never named, and the reports were never corroborated by police records.

Stewart joined the Breakfast with Benz podcast on Thursday morning, two days after the documentary’s release. He discussed the timing of the project and the lasting effects of the story. He noted that the rumor spread rapidly, even before the rise of social media.

Former teammate Brentson Buckner called Stewart from San Francisco within a day of the rumors emerging. The call came at 11 a.m. Pittsburgh time, a three-hour time difference from the West Coast. Buckner asked what was happening with Stewart. Stewart said he had not even been to Schenley Park in his eight years in Pittsburgh, let alone to the specific spot where the car was parked for the film’s location shot.

Stewart recalled living in Wexford, a suburb north of the city. He questioned why he would have been in that part of town, noting that his neighborhood had its own park, North Park. The Steelers’ front office attempted to identify the source of the rumor, but Stewart said he navigated the whispers without publicly defending the story.

He stated that the allegation changed the dynamic in the locker room, even though players rarely discussed it openly. The perception of the city affected how he was viewed when he traveled locally. He described hearing indirect comments from people who would return to tell him what they were hearing in public spaces.

Stewart described his time in Pittsburgh as successful, citing the 1997 and 2001 AFC Championship runs. He said he would live in Wexford and play with the same group of players and coaches if he could do it again. However, he referred to Pittsburgh as that city during the interview, a phrasing that carried an emphatic tone.

When asked if the incident could have happened in any other NFL town, Stewart said he could only speak to his own experience. He compared the situation to a bowl of apples, noting that it only takes one to spoil the rest. He clarified that this did not mean the entire city was defined by that event, but the moments were impactful.

The interview also covered the specific night he learned of the rumor and the details of his 2001 bounce-back season. Stewart addressed his Hall of Fame consideration, arguing it deserves more attention than it has received. He said the goal of the documentary was to tell a story, not to change anyone’s mind or perception of him as a person or a player.