A former Maryland police officer has filed a lawsuit against Steve Smith Sr. over an affair the NFL legend allegedly had with his wife. Per The Independent, the woman Smith is accused of having the months-long affair with is a member of the Baltimore Ravens’ marching band.
The lawsuit in question was filed against the former Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens star by Antonio Martinez, who is also a U.S. Army veteran, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Superior Court on April 29. Martinez is said to have filed the lawsuit under the state’s homewrecker law, which “allows a spouse to sue the illicit lover of his or her spouse for damages.”
Martinez’s lawyer, Christopher Adkins, told the news outlet that the alleged affair left the plaintiff “super heartbroken.” Adkins said Martinez had also been left “devastated” because of the alleged affair, and he was already facing challenges with PTSD.
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“This isn’t some kind of money grab; he really was put in a bad spot, emotionally,” Adkins claimed. “He’s trying to figure out where to go from here.”
Martinez filing the lawsuit came after he took to social media at the beginning of the year to share messages that his wife and Smith had been exchanging. The lawsuit stated that Martinex became aware of the alleged affair on February 22, “right after [he] and [his] wife had just engaged in sexual intercourse.”
Martinez’s wife is said to have admitted to having sexual intercourse with the NFL Network analyst. “He rolled over and looked and her phone is blowing up with Steve Smith’s number, sending texts late at night,” Adkins told the news outlet.
Martinez is said to have subsequently questioned Smith about the affair during a phone call. “Hey, yo Steve… Yeah, you’ve been f***ing my wife, bro. Whatcha gotta say for yourself?” The complaint states that Smith, 45, then replied, “I’m sorry.”
The complaint also states that Martinez and his wife ended their relationship that day, The Independent reported. Martinez and his wife tied the knot in September 2001 after they established contact on Tinder the year prior, per the complaint. They also share a child.
The complaint also claims that Martinez and his wife “were happily married with no intentions to separate” before the plaintiff became aware of the alleged affair.
Smith was on set for an episode of The NFL’s Most Interesting Jobs with Steve Smith when he met Nicole Martinez, the complaint states, adding that the 45-year-old was with the band for gameday. Smith is said to have given his number to Nicole through a network staffer.
The complaint states that Smith and Nicole then established contact and started sending each other messages described as “often sexual in nature and included the exchange of photographs and videos.” Some of the photos were of Smith’s private parts while there were videos of him masturbating, per The Independent.
The complaint also states that on January 20, 2025, Smith and Nicole had sex when he came to analyze a Ravens game in Baltimore. Martinez is said to have ultimately discovered the alleged affair about six weeks later.
Martinez is said to have berated Smith after the latter rendered the apology. “You’re sorry? You f***ing knew she was married,” Martinez told Smith during their phone conversation. “… 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?”
Martinez is seeking at least $100,000 in damages.
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