MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Former Carolina Panthers Steve Smith Sr. is at the center of a newly filed lawsuit accusing him of having an affair with a married woman and causing the breakdown of a marriage.
According to court documents filed in Mecklenburg County Superior Court, Antonio Martinez, a military veteran and former police officer from Maryland, is suing Smith for alienation of affection, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, and seeking punitive damages.
Martinez claims Smith carried on a secret, months-long affair with his wife that ultimately tore their family apart.
The complaint alleges that Smith met Martinez’s wife while filming an NFL Network segment with the Baltimore Ravens’ Marching Band, of which she was reportedly a member.
After that September 2024 encounter, Martinez claims Smith and his wife began texting and exchanging photos and videos. By January 2025, the lawsuit claims they were meeting in person and had sexual encounters, including in a hotel room the night before and after a Ravens game.
Martinez, who got married in 2021 and shares one child with his wife, says they were a “loving family” until he discovered the affair in February 2025. He claims the betrayal worsened his pre-existing PTSD and sent him into a deep emotional crisis, resulting in depression, anxiety, and the breakdown of his marriage.
The lawsuit, filed on April 30, seeks more than $100,000 in damages and calls for a jury trial. Smith, known for his long NFL career with the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens, has not publicly responded to the allegations as of this publication.
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