“Real Housewives of Atlanta” personality Kordell Stewart is suing mad at a man who claimed in an online interview that he knew Stewart in the Biblical way.
Former NFL star Stewart slapped Andrew Caldwell with a defamation suit earlier this week after Caldwell claimed — and later retracted statements — that he had an intimate encounter with Stewart.
“At all times during his life, Mr. Stewart has been, and is, a heterosexual male,” states the lawsuit, obtained by TheWrap.
The suit was filed Monday in Georgia, at DeKalb County Superior Court. It states that Caldwell gained notoriety in 2014, after a video of him proclaiming at a church gathering that he had been delivered from homosexuality went viral.
The suit claims that Caldwell tried to extend his fame by claiming on Internet morning show “The ShakeUP” on Oct. 1, 2015, that he had sexual encounters with several NFL stars including Stewart.
“I dated plenty of football players. I dated some in Atlanta. I dated, you know, Kordell. Yes. Kordell Stewart,” the lawsuit says Caldwell said on “The ShakeUP.”
When asked why he stopped dating Stewart, Caldwell reportedly responded, “It was only a one-time thing.”
The suit also names producer Jarrius Keyun Moon and Catalyst Next LLC, which produces “The ShakeUP,” where Caldwell made his claims.
Former NFL star Stewart played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chicago Bears and the Baltimore Ravens during his ten years in the league. He married “Real Housewives” star Porsha Williams in 2011, but they split in 2013.
Caldwell had claimed that the alleged encounter with Stewart occurred during the NFL star’s marriage to Williams.
A week after his online interview was posted, the suit states that Caldwell “issued an apology to Mr. Stewart for mentioning his name and making false accusations about him on ‘The ShakeUP.’ He further stated that he does not know Mr. Stewart and made up the statements.”
The apology was published on Oct. 8, on urban gossip site The Shade Room, the suit states.
The suit goes on to say that Caldwell’s interview was picked up by several gossip websites including Bossip, Radar Online and Straight From the A. It claims the publicity has harmed Stewart, who has served as an NFL analyst on ESPN.
He is seeking unspecified general and special damages for “loss of earnings, emotional distress, and impairment to his reputation.”
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.