Inside the Steve Smith $100K affair lawsuit: NFL legend accused of wrecking a marriage
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Just when you thought
NFL offseason drama
couldn't get any wilder, former wide receiver and TV analyst Steve Smith Sr. is being sued not over football, but over an alleged affair. A man named Antonio Martinez claims Smith seduced his wife, and now, he's slapping the
NFL
star with a "homewrecker" lawsuit that's blowing up online.
Steve Smith is being sued for allegedly breaking up a marriage: Here's what went down
Steve Smith Sr., the former Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens star turned NFL Network analyst, is now making headlines for a whole different reason. According to a lawsuit filed this week in North Carolina, Smith is being accused of destroying Antonio Martinez's marriage by allegedly having an affair with Martinez's wife, Nicole.
Martinez claims the affair took place during a work trip in Baltimore in September 2024, when Smith was in town for a filming gig. He's suing for 'alienation of affection'—a rare type of civil lawsuit that only a handful of states, including North Carolina, still allow. And it's not a small ask, Martinez is seeking over $100,000 in damages, saying Smith 'willfully, maliciously and intentionally' seduced Nicole and ruined what was once a 'loving relationship.'
Screenshots, deleted posts, and a voice saying 'I'm sorry': How it all went public
The lawsuit didn't come out of nowhere. Back in February 2025, Antonio Martinez had already gone public on social media with some damning receipts. He posted screenshots of private messages allegedly exchanged between Steve Smith and his wife, along with a phone call recording where a man's voice, claimed to be Smith's, can be heard saying, 'I'm sorry.'
The posts were deleted soon after, but not before NFL Twitter went wild. Reddit threads, gossip blogs, and fan pages were buzzing about the situation. At that time, many assumed it was an internet drama or baseless rumor but now that a lawsuit has officially dropped, it's being taken a lot more seriously.
So far, Smith hasn't commented publicly. No statements, no tweets, nothing from his legal team either. Silence is the only thing coming from his camp right now.
Here's the thing: Steve Smith Sr. isn't just an ex-football player. He's a public figure with a clean-cut image, a regular on sports broadcasts, and a father of four. If any of this lawsuit holds up in court or even just in public perception it could dent more than just his bank account.
The 'alienation of affection' law isn't common, but it's been used before to win big settlements. In some cases, people have walked away with hundreds of thousands, even millions. If this goes to trial, it could become one of the more bizarre NFL-adjacent legal cases in years.
And for Smith, whose brand is built on authenticity, family, and grit, this could get messy fast.
Also read -
Could Shannon Sharpe go broke? What happens if he loses the sexual assault case? Breaking down the fallout of a $50M lawsuit
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