It was 28 years ago when Kordell Stewart, the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, got a phone call from a friend who was curious to ask him a question following a stop at the barbershop.
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who → get → barbershop
The friend told him people at the barbershop were saying he was arrested at Schenley Park in Pittsburgh on charges of participating in a lewd act with a trans woman.
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he → tell → woman
Within hours, he was being contacted by former teammates and others in cities like San Francisco, Atlanta and Indianapolis.
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he → contact → Francisco
Yet, Stewart, nicknamed "Slash" for his unique skill set that saw him play quarterback, receiver, running back and even punter, dealt with scrutiny and outside noise stemming from the rumor while trying to cement himself as the franchise signal caller.
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him → nickname → caller
"Kordell Stewart: Slash & Burn" is a new HBO and NFL Films documentary, directed by Brian Rivera, which allowed Stewart to tell his story and how a rumor had a long-term impact on his career and life.
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rumor → direct → career
"To have an opportunity to have a story out there to tell I think is what allured this relationship between myself, my team, with NFL Films and Brian Rivera being the director, to the collaboration with HBO and HBO Max.
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Rivera → tell → HBO
It’s surreal to say the least considering, with storytelling, there’s so many layers," he told OutKick during a recent interview.
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he → ’ → interview
Stewart called the experience "unique and cathartic," and it included a trip to Schenley Park and its crudely named "Fruit Loop Circle," where the 1995 NFL Draft choice was said to have been participating in the lewd act when he was arrested.
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he → call → act
Again, Stewart was never arrested and has always denied the accusations.
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Stewart → arrest → accusations
But while the rumor is something that always seems to come up when Stewart comes to the minds of Steelers fans and others, he wants his body of work on the field to be the main topic of conversation, which is the documentary’s theme.
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which → seem → conversation
In fact, Stewart views himself as a trailblazer in the sport because the league, in his eyes, was not ready for someone with his skill set – a dual-threat quarterback that is now coveted by teams in the NFL.
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that → view → NFL
You look at the game today.
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You → look → game
It was everything I did back then.
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I → do → ?
Guys are being drafted No. 1 overall?
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Guys → draft → ?
Where’s my money, Scott?
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money → ’ → ?
I need my back pay here, you know what I mean?
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I → need → what
Sarcastically speaking," Stewart said.
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Stewart → speak → ?
"It’s appreciated and I think all the work that’s been put in – if I had to do it again, I’d do it again.
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I → appreciate → it
All the work put in, it was well worth it."
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it → put → ?
"It was a tremendous amount of fun," he added about his career.
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he → add → career
"Some sorry moments, but that’s a part of the game and a part of life.
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that → ’ → life
You can’t always stay down there at the bottom of the barrel knowing that the road traveled was one of trying to succeed.
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road → stay → barrel
As [former Steelers] Coach [Bill] Cowher said, he’s won more games with me than any other quarterback over the course of his career.
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he → say → career
That’s something to be proud of."
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That → ’ → ?
Stewart’s football career has many layers, as he alluded to earlier.
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he → have → layers
As a standout at Colorado, he had tremendous arm talent, but also possessed the speed and agility to be a "Hall of Fame wide receiver," which he said the Steelers told him he could be.
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he → have → him
But playing quarterback is what he felt his calling was on the gridiron, and he stuck to that belief from the very start until the end.
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he → play → end
However, to get playing time after the Steelers drafted him in the second round, Stewart did what was needed.
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what → get → round
The nickname "Slash" followed after Cowher put him "Quarterback/Wide Receiver" on the roster.
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Cowher → follow → roster
Stewart, though, wanted to eventually shake that thought out of the Steelers’ mind, as he continued to prove his worth as the team’s starting quarterback.
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he → want → quarterback
In 1997, Stewart went 11-5 as a starter, eventually reaching the AFC Championship Game before falling short of the Super Bowl.
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Stewart → go → Bowl
Everything seemed to be going well, but with key coaching changes, especially offensive coordinator Chan Gailey leaving, Stewart was struggling to find consistency on the field.
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Stewart → seem → field
Compound that with the rumors circulating, and you would understand if Stewart started to spiral.
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Stewart → compound → that
Instead, he took all of it with grace.
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he → take → grace
The word-of-mouth rumor was allegedly traced back to a Pittsburgh police officer, though Stewart doesn’t know who exactly it was to this day.
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it → trace → day
He still can’t understand why someone, especially a Steelers fan, would do such a thing.
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someone → understand → thing
"I mean, really?
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I → mean → ?
For real bro, that’s how low we went because of the disdained taste that many may have had in their mouths, their minds and their spirits of me being the face of that organization at the quarterback position," he said.
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he → ’ → position
"That makes me want to go back in time and do it again.
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me → make → it
Because you weren’t going to move me off my spot of what I believed in and knew what I could do.
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I → go → what
…and 21 more, not listed.
The Aporia
