Kordell Stewart is getting the documentary treatment, and for Steelers fans of a certain era, that means revisiting one of the most electric and complicated careers in franchise memory.
"Kordell Stewart: Slash & Burn" will tell the story of the quarterback who became known as "Slash" after arriving from Colorado and carving out a role in Pittsburgh in more ways than one. Stewart wasn’t just a quarterback in the early part of his NFL run.
He lined up at wide receiver, ran the ball, caught passes and punted, too. As he put it in an interview with CBS analysts Kyle Long and Russell Wilson: "I did everything under the sun, from punting, catching, throwing, running," Stewart said during an interview with CBS analysts Kyle Long and Russell Wilson.
"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."
Once he took over as Pittsburgh’s starter in 1997, Stewart delivered right away, going 11-5 with 32 total touchdowns in his first season in the role. He later reached his statistical peak in 2001, when he threw for 3,109 yards and ran for another 537, both career highs. That season also ended with him finishing fourth in MVP voting.
The documentary is also set to revisit the harder parts of Stewart’s story. He dealt with unsubstantiated rumors alleging that he was arrested for engaging in lewd acts with a man at a local park.
Stewart denied the allegations, and there was no evidence behind them, but the rumors still hung around. After that standout 2001 season, he lasted just one more year in Pittsburgh before finishing his career with brief stops in Chicago in 2003 and Baltimore in 2004-05.
The new HBO documentary will air on HBO and stream on HBO Max.
"Kordell Stewart: Slash & Burn" is set to premiere on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 9 p.m. ET.
Stewart’s Steelers career numbers underline just how much he meant to that era: 113 games, 13,328 passing yards, 70 passing touchdowns, 72 interceptions and a 56.5 completion percentage, plus 2,561 rushing yards, 35 rushing touchdowns, 41 catches, 658 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.
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