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NFL legend Steve Smith Sr. finally broke his silence on being publicly accused of having an affair with a married woman earlier this year.
Smith, 46, appeared on the Pivot podcast this week and addressed conversations with his four kids after Anthony Martinez publicly claimed that Smith had an affair with his wife, Nicole, a member of the Baltimore Ravens' 'Marching Ravens' music group, with Martinez suing Smith under North Carolina's "home-wrecker law."
“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 host Ryan Clark how he handled the situation with his wife and children.
“I grew up old school, mind your business. We could be neighbors, but don’t bring your a** 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.”
Smith, who spent his last three seasons with the Ravens from 2014 to 2016, has been married to his wife, Angie, since his senior year at the University of 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.
“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.”
Martinez is seeking more than $100,000 in a civil lawsuit against Smith filed in Mecklenburg County Superior Court, the Charlotte Observer reported in May. Smith was one of the NFL's best wide receivers of the 2000s and arguably the best in Carolina Panthers' history, having spent his first 13 seasons with the franchise and final three with the Ravens.
The Los Angeles native was a two-time first-team All-Pro in 2001 and 2005, a second-team All-Pro in 2008, a five-time Pro Bowler (2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011) and led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in 2005.