Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Retired Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. ended up in the middle of a messy situation earlier this year thanks to a man who publicly accused him of having an affair with his wife. Now, he’s ended up on the receiving end of a six-digit lawsuit thanks to a fairly unconventional law on the books in North Carolina.
Steve Smith Sr. spent 16 years in the NFL after kicking off his career with the Panthers in 2001. The third-round pick was initially deployed for kick and punt returns, but he took full advantage of the opportunity to play wide receiver and quickly established himself as one of the team’s best wideouts during what ended up being a 13-year stint in Carolina.
Smith spent another three seasons with the Panthers before retiring in the wake of the 2016 campaign, and he eventually became one of the many players who’ve ended up pivoting to broadcasting after inking a deal with NFL Network.
In February, Smith found himself in the headlines after a man took to social media to accuse him of having an affair with his wife while sharing a number of explicit messages, photos, and videos to back up the allegations.
The 45-year-old did not directly respond to the accusations at the time, but it would appear he will have to answer to them in court now that he’s been named in a lawsuit filed by the jilted husband.
According to The Charlotte Observer, Antonio Martinez, the man who says he was cheated on, is suing Smith for $100,000 while harnessing North Carolina’s “alienation of affection” law (a.k.a. “homewrecker law”), which allows spouses to take legal action against outside parties involved in an affair (only seven states have a similar statute; Hawaii, Illinois, New Mexico, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Utah comprise the rest of the septet).
The outlet notes Martinez must prove “genuine love and affection existed in their marriage” while supplementing it with evidence of the affair, and based on the posts that surfaced when the allegations came to light, that second box is firmly checked.