Everyone has heard about it.
Everyone has talked about it.
No one knew exactly when the rumor started, but the barbershop talk was that Kordell Stewart was gay.
He decided to set the record straight of how the rumor got started and how it has haunted him for years.
“Listen, this is crazy. But I’m just telling you what they were saying in the barbershop. They said you were having lewd acts performed on you. In the park. And you got locked up. And look, man … I’m just telling you, they’re saying that you’re gay. They’re saying a whole lot of stuff.”
Alright, timeout. We need to take a step back for a minute. Because I’m telling you this story today as a 48-year-old man who has learned a lot and has grown a lot. I got nothing but love for everybody, no matter what their sexual orientation is. It’s great to see how much the world has evolved in the last 20 years. But when this was all happening? Man, you have to understand, I’m a young Black quarterback in a blue-collar town. Being the target of those kinds of rumors? At that time? In that era? In that NFL?
Come on, man. You know what it was.
It’s sad to say, but at that time, it was a death sentence.
It never happened. It was a lie.
It has dogged Steward even after his career over.
Here is how Andrew Caldwell “I’m Delivert” guy accused him of being gay. It turned out to be a lie.