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Steve Smith breaks silence on affair accusations after husband’s furious social media tirade
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- Steve Smith breaks silence on affair accusations after husband’s furious social media tirade
Steve Smith
Former All-Pro receiver Steve Smith Sr. said he refuses to apologize after he was publicly accused of having an affair with a married woman earlier this year.
During the latest installment of "The Pivot" podcast, Smith shared the conversation he had with his four kids after Anthony Martinez alleged that his wife, Nicole, and the former NFL star had an affair in 2024 in a series of since-deleted tweets.
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Martinez — whose wife is a member of the Marching Ravens , the Baltimore Ravens music group — sued Smith under North Carolina's "home-wrecker law" over the alleged affair, according to the Charlotte Observer .
"I still and won't release any apology because I don't need to apologize on a private matter to a whole bunch of strangers," Smith said when asked by Ryan Clark how he handled the matter with his ex-wife and children.
"I grew up old school, mind your business. We could be neighbors, but don't bring your ass to my yard knocking on my door talking about what's going on. Because you ain't going to like who and what's in the hand of the person that's opening the door."
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Smith, who played for the Ravens from 2014-16 and is currently an NFL Network analyst, married his wife Angie during his senior year at Utah in 2000.
"So, people have their comments," Smith said. "Here's what I can guarantee you. I gave authority to my kids. I ain't going to never say nothing bad about their mother. Ain't got to. And they got authority from me. Check me. So I'm never going to mention or say what is or isn't because for a whole bunch of strangers that are watching this with their opinion, it don't really matter because you don't know.
Steve Smith playing for the Ravens in 2015. Getty Images
"What I won't do, is I won't explain myself – because I was wrong. But I also won't defend myself. And I'm not going to walk around apologizing to everybody because that ain't how it's supposed to work. All I can really do is allow time to take its course."
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Martinez is asking for over $100,000 from Smith in a civil lawsuit in North Carolina's Mecklenburg County Superior Court, The Charlotte Observer reported in May.
Martinez claimed his wife and Smith met at work in since-deleted tweets from February, which included screenshots of alleged texts between his wife and Smith.
He also uploaded a recorded phone call of him confronting a man, believed to be Smith, over the phone.
Steve Smith with his wife Angie in 2010. Getty Images
Per the lawsuit, Martinez says Smith "willfully, maliciously and intentionally" seduced his wife during a September 2024 encounter in Baltimore.
Smith joined the Marching Ravens on the field during a game against the Bills in Baltimore on Sept. 29, as seen a video by the Ravens on X.
