Steve Smith Sr.’s son Peyton Smith has hit back at critics sending “hateful messages” to his family amid rumors of his father being involved in a cheating scandal.
45-year-old Smith Sr. was accused by a man named Tony Martinez of having an affair with his wife in multiple explicit posts on X over the weekend. The account behind those posts has since been deleted.
Smith’s son Peyton took to Instagram to hit back at those questioning his father and family’s reputation while expressing gratitude to fans and friends who reached out to offer their support.
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He made the post featuring a photo of him and his three siblings with their mom, Angie.
“Your kind words and prayers are felt and appreciated. God’s got us.”
“I won’t take much time feeding into the negativity, but to those sending hateful messages to my family, I hope you take time to reflect that you have nothing better to do with your day than to message hate to a stranger.”
Martinez alleged that his wife is part of the Baltimore Ravens marching band called the Marching Ravens.
The now-deleted account on X posted screenshots portraying sexually charged texts allegedly exchanged between Martinez’s wife and Steve Smith Sr.
Also, a video showing a man calling someone who is allegedly Smith and accusing him of having sex with his wife was reportedly put out on the social media platform.
The man on the other end of the line said, “sorry,” and, after a long pause, hung up after being pressed for further details.
These allegations drew the attention of former NFL stars Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson on their Nightcap podcast.
“You never confront the individual because Steve Smith owes you no loyalty,” Johnson said in response to Martinez’s claims.
“You talk to your wife, you check your wife… Understand who you’re marrying. Human nature is undefeated.”
Sharpe stood behind Smith and revealed the former NFL star was just at his Super Bowl party and has known him for 20 years.
“I love the guy,” Sharpe said. “Hard-nosed, the way he plays, X, Y and Z. But bro, you need to take that up with your wife. Smitty owes you no loyalty.”
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“He’s gonna have to deal with the situation at home, his own situation. I don’t know the gentleman’s name, but that’s a situation you gotta take up with your wife. She is the one that has an obligation to you.”
Steve Smith Sr. is a retired NFL legend who now works as an NFL Network analyst and played his final three seasons with the Ravens after 13 years with the Carolina Panthers.
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Although critics have taken a jab at Smith’s reputation, he is yet to formally comment on the situation, but it appears his son has chosen to stand behind his father amid the growing concerns of infidelity.
