Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart is directly addressing a fabricated 1998 rumor that shadowed his professional football career in the new HBO short documentary, Kordell Stewart: Slash & Burn. Directed by Brian Rivera and produced in partnership with Skydance Sports and NFL Films, the project examines Stewart's rise as one of the league's earliest multi-positional stars alongside the personal toll of an unsubstantiated allegation that circulated across Pittsburgh. According to Yahoo Sports and TVLine, the film was scheduled to premiere on HBO at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, with streaming availability on HBO Max, while Reality Tea notes the documentary recently premiered.

Now 54, Stewart is using the platform not only to set the record straight for his family and longtime supporters, but also to ask fans and Pro Football Hall of Fame voters to reevaluate his on-field statistical legacy.

Confronting a Fabricated Controversy

At the center of Slash & Burn is a pervasive piece of pre-social media disinformation. In 1998, a rumor swept through Pittsburgh claiming that Stewart had been caught and arrested for engaging in a lewd act with another man in a local park. Despite the rapid spread of the story in the blue-collar football town, the arrest never took place.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Pittsburgh Steelers organization investigated the claim at the time and never substantiated the allegation, while Reality Tea reports that no police records ever supported the story. While no one has definitively proven who started the fabrication, Stewart's camp believes the story originated from within the Pittsburgh Police Department.

During his active playing days, Stewart—who identifies as straight—largely remained silent on the matter, calculating that aggressive public denials would only feed the media speculation and distract from his responsibilities on the field. Looking back, however, Stewart acknowledges that the false narrative altered the trajectory of his tenure in the league and subjected him to intense hostility, including racial abuse from some fans inside his home stadium.

"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," Stewart told The Hollywood Reporter.

Speaking about the decision to revisit the painful period decades later, Stewart described the documentary process as "unique and cathartic." He emphasized the secondary toll the gossip took on those around him. "I never had a chance to really express this," Stewart said, as cited by Reality Tea. "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."

The On-Field Legacy of 'Slash'

Beyond the off-field distractions, the documentary focuses heavily on Stewart's pioneering style of play, which laid the groundwork for modern dual-threat quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. Drafted 60th overall by the Steelers in 1995 out of the University of Colorado—where he famously threw the "Miracle at Michigan" Hail Mary pass—Stewart immediately stood out for his rare athletic profile.

Before taking over as Pittsburgh's full-time starting quarterback, he lined up as a wide receiver, running back, quarterback, and even served as the team's backup punter, earning the enduring nickname "Slash."

"Randall Cunningham brought awareness to the mobile quarterback," Stewart noted in his interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "I like to say I tore the hinges off the door."

In a separate interview with CBS analysts Kyle Long and Russell Wilson, cited by Yahoo Sports, Stewart reflected on his transition from gadget player to franchise leader: "I did everything under the sun, from punting, catching, throwing, running. Then, all of a sudden, I got my opportunity to start in 1997. And then I showed I was capable of being a full-time quarterback in the National Football League."

The statistical breakdown of Stewart's career highlights both his high ceiling and the abrupt end to his prime years in Pittsburgh:

  • 1997 Breakthrough: In his first season as the Steelers' starting quarterback, Stewart led the team to an 11-5 record and accounted for 32 combined passing and rushing touchdowns.
  • 2001 Peak: Stewart earned a Pro Bowl selection and finished fourth in NFL MVP voting after posting career highs with 3,109 passing yards and 537 rushing yards.
  • Career Totals: Over his NFL tenure, he recorded a 56.5 percent completion rate, 77 passing touchdowns, 84 interceptions, and 5 receiving touchdowns.

Despite his 2001 resurgence, Stewart lasted just one more season in Pittsburgh before losing his starting job. He finished his professional football career with brief stints on the Chicago Bears in 2003 and the Baltimore Ravens from 2004 to 2005.

A Push for the Hall of Fame

With Slash & Burn, Stewart openly hopes to spark a conversation regarding his candidacy for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. To build context around his era, director Brian Rivera includes commentary from six key interview subjects across football and media: Stewart, former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis, former offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, Pittsburgh sportscaster Bob Pompeani, and journalist L.Z. Granderson, according to PCMag and The Hollywood Reporter.

In the retrospective, Cowher suggests that Stewart possessed the physical tools to become a Hall of Fame wide receiver had he switched positions permanently earlier in his career—an assessment with which Stewart agrees. While the documentary does not formally alter his Hall of Fame eligibility, it serves as a public platform for voters to weigh his multi-positional impact against the era in which he played.

Frequently Asked Questions

What role does Porsha Williams play in the documentary?

To broader pop culture audiences, Stewart is widely recognized for his past marriage to The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams. However, while entertainment outlets like Reality Tea note the connection in their coverage of the release, the documentary centers strictly on Stewart's NFL tenure and the 1998 Pittsburgh rumor. The reporting does not indicate that Williams participates in the film or that their former marriage is a focus of the project.

Where can viewers watch 'Kordell Stewart: Slash & Burn'?

The short documentary airs on the HBO cable network and is available to stream on HBO Max.

Sources