A quarter century ago, Kordell Stewart was the toast of Pittsburgh. But his tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers was complicated, as was his relationship with their fans.
In an essay published by The Players’ Tribune on Thursday, Stewart opened up in detail about it all, including addressing a particularly vulgar rumor about him for the first time publicly.
Stewart referenced the pervasive unfounded gossip from 1998 that he was found in a city park engaging in a lewd act with another man.
“It never happened,” Stewart wrote. “It was a lie. But that wasn’t the point.”
You remember the rumors?
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) February 4, 2021
Think you know the story?
You don’t know the half of it.
KORDELL.https://t.co/uCUEe2PH2X
Stewart wrote that he felt attacked by the city for the rumor, which he said the Steelers discovered to have been started by an individual police officer. Stewart, who is not gay, said former Steelers coach Bill Cowher asked him to address the team about it.
The timing of the unfounded story coincided with a regression in Stewart’s playing career. It also damaged Stewart’s relationship with Pittsburgh fans, one of whom he revealed threw a beer at him and called him a racial slur following a game later in the 1998 season.
Stewart’s first-person piece runs more than 4,000 words. He also addresses former Steelers president Dan Rooney’s reaction to the 1998 rumors, Stewart’s preference to play quarterback in lieu of what arguably could have been a more fruitful career at receiver and about losing his mother to cancer as a child.
“When my mother finally passed away when I was 11, my dad stepped up and was there for me every single day of my life,” Stewart wrote. “He was a mother, father, best friend — everything to me.”
A second-round pick of the Steelers in 1995, Stewart burst onto the national scene as “Slash” (a reference his positional listing of quarterback-slash-receiver-slash-running back in helping to get the Steelers to the Super Bowl as a rookie.
He would become the starting quarterback in his third season, leading the Steelers to the AFC championship game. Stewart was benched in 1999 and did not open the 2000 season as the starter but had his best season the following year when he was named AFC offensive player of the year.
Stewart led the Steelers to the AFC championship game for the second time in five years but again threw three interceptions as the Steelers lost to Tom Brady’s New England Patriots. Stewart lost his starting job to Tommy Maddox three games into the following season and was released the following spring.
Stewart started five games for the Chicago Bears in 2003 and finished his career with two seasons as a backup for the Baltimore Ravens. He formally announced a retirement at the Steelers facility in 2012.
Hey, Steelers Nation, get the latest news about the Pittsburgh Steelers here.
