Ex-NFL player admits speeding, driving without license

By David Ibata

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Former Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro quarterback Kordell Stewart admitted in court Tuesday that he “wasn’t paying attention” when Alpharetta police stopped him earlier this year for speeding and driving with a suspended license, Channel 2 Action News reports.

“I was going to play golf with my buddy. … I was on the phone taking care of some stuff at my house. (I) literally wasn’t paying attention,” Stewart said Tuesday in Alpharetta Municipal Court.

Stewart later told Channel 2 that the incident -- in which he also was arrested on a warrant for failing to appear in court in Conyers on another traffic offense -- was a humiliating experience.

“It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life because it was something that caught me completely off guard,” said Stewart, 38, who lives in Atlanta. The former Steeler also played in Chicago and Baltimore before turning to broadcasting.

According to an Alpharetta police report, Stewart was stopped May 11 after an officer clocked his 2010 Range Rover traveling 61 mph in a 40 mph zone on Windward Parkway.

A license check revealed Stewart’s license was suspended as of July 15, 2010, and that he was wanted for failing to appear in Conyers court on a tinted window violation. Police took him into custody. He later was released on $3,000 bond.

Under an arrangement negotiated by his attorney, Stewart pleaded guilty to a lesser speeding charge and, since he has gotten his driver’s license reinstated, driving with an expired rather than a suspended license.

Stewart will have to complete a six-hour defensive driving course, and the speeding infraction won’t go on his driving record. His lawyer, Michael LaScala, said Stewart has paid the fine for the tinted window ticket in Conyers.

Regarding the Conyers incident, Stewart said that with all the things going on his life, he "forgot to show up in court, and here I am."

“I’m not above the law. I have to abide by it like everyone else does,” he said. As for lessons learned, he said, “Just take care of your business. If you take care of your business, your business won’t take care of you.”