Ex-cop sues NFL legend Steve Smith Sr. over alleged affair with spouse | EUROtoday

An ex-cop in Maryland is suing Steve Smith Sr. over a months-long affair the previous Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens star allegedly had with the person’s spouse, a member of the Ravens’ marching band.

Antonio Martinez, who beforehand was a member of the San Antonio, Texas Police Department, filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Superior Court. Smith, a Mecklenburg resident, was served the go well with on Friday, in response to court docket paperwork.

Martinez introduced the grievance below North Carolina’s so-called homewrecker regulation, formally often called the “alienation of affection” regulation, which lets an aggrieved partner sue the get together they blame for damaging their marriage, his legal professional Christopher Adkins instructed The Independent.

He stated North Carolina is one among solely a handful of states with such a regulation, and that he information “a number of” comparable instances yearly.

Adkins described Martinez as “super heartbroken” upon discovering the alleged affair. Martinez, who can be a U.S. Army veteran, already suffered from PTSD-related points, and the affair “just devastated him,” in response to Adkins.

“This isn’t some kind of money grab; he really was put in a bad spot, emotionally,” he stated. “He’s trying to figure out where to go from here.”

Smith’s lawyer, Jonathan Feit, didn’t reply to a request for remark.

The Charlotte Observer was first to report on the lawsuit.

Earlier this 12 months, Martinez uncovered the connection between his spouse and Smith by posting screenshots on social media of incriminating messages the 2 had reportedly despatched one another.

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The grievance says Martinez found the alleged affair on February 22, “right after [he] and [his] wife had just engaged in sexual intercourse,” and that she instantly confessed that she had certainly been sleeping with Smith.

“He rolled over and looked and her phone is blowing up with Steve Smith’s number, sending texts late at night,” Adkins instructed The Independent.

Martinez then referred to as Smith and confronted him, saying, “Hey, yo Steve… Yeah, you’ve been f***ing my wife, bro. Whatcha gotta say for yourself?”

Smith, a legendary trash-talker who’s now an analyst for the NFL Network, replied, “I’m sorry,” in response to Martinez’s grievance.

Martinez and his spouse, Nicole, cut up up the identical day, the grievance states. It says the 2 met on Tinder in June 2000, and married in September of the next 12 months. They have one youngster collectively and share 5 others from earlier relationships.

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Prior to Martinez’s discovery of the alleged affair, he and his spouse “were happily married with no intentions to separate,” the grievance asserts.

“This love is definitely one for the story books,” reads their wedding ceremony web page on The Knot.

In September 2024, Smith met Nicole Martinez whereas filming an episode of The NFL’s Most Interesting Jobs with Steve Smithduring which he joined the band for gameday, in response to the grievance. Smith then had a community staffer slip her his cellphone quantity, the grievance continues.

Smith and Nicole Martinez subsequently started speaking and exchanging textual content messages, which have been “often sexual in nature and included the exchange of photographs and videos,” the grievance states. These included photographs of Smith’s genitalia and movies of him masturbating, in response to the grievance.

It alleges the pair continued to ship messages forwards and backwards for the following six months, which targeted on varied topics equivalent to their illicit relationship, their “secret plans to meet each other,” and diverse “sexual fantasies.”

In one, Smith texted, “Ur beautiful by the way,” in response to the grievance.

“Thank you!” Nicole Martinez replied. “You’re so sweet. That means a lot.”

In one other, the devoutly spiritual Smith responded to a photograph Nicole Martinez despatched of herself by texting, “U hiding a lot of sexiest [sic] underneath those clothes damn,” the grievance says.

To that, she responded with an emoji and wrote, “…and some tattoos.”

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A 3rd message cited within the grievance says Smith despatched Nicole Martinez an specific video of himself and requested, “Did u wake up to me this morning,” to which she wrote again, “I haven’t gotten to enjoy you yet… was already at work when you sent it.”

Nicole Martinez additionally instructed Smith that she loved it when he checked out her, and stated she “hadn’t felt that spark in years.”

The grievance says Smith and Martinez’s spouse had intercourse as just lately as January 10, 2025, when Smith was in Baltimore to cowl a Ravens sport.

A little bit greater than six weeks later, Martinez discovered in regards to the alleged affair, in response to the grievance. After Smith apologized to him, Martinez lit into him, a transcript of their cellphone dialog exhibits.

“You’re sorry? You f***ing knew she was married,” Martinez instructed Smith on the decision, which the grievance says Martinez recorded. “… You’re not a f***ing man, bro. All that s**t you do on TV. All that s**t talking you do to other people. Now someone’s got you on the f***ing phone and you can’t even f***ing man up?”

Smith, who has the eighth-most NFL receiving yards of all time, was amongst 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 however ended up getting handed over. He has been referred to as “the Fred Astaire of the touchdown dance,” and famously scored in a landing in 2009 whereas nursing a damaged arm.

Martinez is asking for at least $100,000 in damages.