The list of lawsuits recently filed against former NFL players continues to grow.
Former Panthers and Ravens receiver Steve Smith Sr. has been sued in North Carolina under a “homewrecker” law.
As explained by Julia Coin of the Charlotte Observer, Smith is accused of having an extended affair with a member of the Baltimore Ravens marching band.
In the civil complaint filed on Tuesday, Antonio Martinez seeks at least $100,000 for Smith’s alleged interference in Martinez’s marriage.
The situation became public in February, when Martinez posted images of messages allegedly exchanged between Smith and Martinez’s wife. In the lawsuit, Martinez alleged that he called Smith to confront him on the matter.
“You’ve been f—king my wife, bro,” Martinez said, per the lawsuit.
“I’m sorry,” Smith allegedly replied.
The lawsuit contains claims for alienation of affection, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent infliction of emotional distress. The complaint seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, and attorney’s fees.
Smith spent 16 years in the NFL. After 13 with the Panthers, he spent his final three in Baltimore. He currently works for NFL Network.
The Panthers have picked up the fifth-year option on left tackle Ikem Ekwonu’s contract. He is expected to get a long-term deal, something the Panthers did for defensive lineman Derrick Brown and cornerback Jaycee Horn in the same situation.
The only question is: When?
“I have no timeline, honestly,” Ekwonu said Thursday, via Kassidy Hill of the team website. “I’ll let my agent and Dan and everybody kind of figure that out for themselves.
“But I mean, obviously, all parties know, all parties involved know I want to be here in Carolina long term. Hopefully, we can get that done. I’m definitely grateful and excited for this option.”
The Panthers used the sixth overall pick in 2022 on Ekwonu, who has started 49 of a possible 51 games in his career after missing two games with an ankle injury in 2024. Ekwonu does not turn 25 until the end of October.
Ekwonu was born in Charlotte and went to North Carolina State, so he is home and wants to keep it that way.
“I want to be here,” Ekwonu said. “I want to be part of the glory days in Carolina, and I feel like we’re right there on the precipice of it.”
Everyone wants to know what happened to Hunter Renfrow. He went from the Pro Bowl in 2021 to an afterthought in 2022 and 2023 to out of the league in 2024.
Renfrow ow is attempting a comeback with the Panthers.
“It’s just trying to get back, trying to get healthy, trying to do something I love,” Renfrow told Darin Gantt of the team website when asked about a year out of the game. “I enjoyed other parts of life. We had our second daughter, so enjoying that and just wanting to make sure if I’m going to come back and give my time and attention to something that I was going to be all in on it.”
Renfrow, 29, revealed that he has dealt with a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, which left him with weight loss, fatigue and high fever. It’s a reason he did not play last season.
Instead, Renfrow spent a year consulting with doctors and getting the condition under control.
“It kicked my butt pretty good,” Renfrow said. “Last year, I fluctuated in weight. I went down to 150 pounds. I had like seven straight days of 103-degree fevers. It’s tough to play when you’re not feeling great.”
He now weighs 187 with a goal of a playing weight of 185.
“It’s a weird feeling. It makes you grateful for the times that you do feel good,” Renfrow said. “It makes you grateful for the opportunities that you’ve had, and when you feel like you’ve been blessed with some skill to go out there and perform, it makes you not want to waste the opportunity that you have. And that was one of the reasons why I wanted to come back and play.”
In five seasons, Renfrow has 269 receptions for 2,884 yards and 17 touchdowns.
The Panthers are bringing in another potential weapon for their offense.
Carolina announced on Sunday night that the club has agreed to terms with veteran receiver Hunter Renfrow.
Renfrow, 29, did not play in 2024 after the Raiders released him in March of that year. While he’s dealt with injuries, he did appear in all 17 games with three starts for Las Vegas in 2023, catching 25 passes for 255 yards.
A fifth-round pick in 2019, Renfrow’s most productive season was 2021, when he helped the Raiders reach the postseason by catching 103 passes for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns. He was a Pro Bowler that year.
In 73 career games with 23 starts, Renfrow has 269 career receptions for 2,884 yards with 17 TDs.
A South Carolina native, Renfrow won two CFP National Championships with Clemson and will now be back in the South.
The Panthers are bringing in the son of one of the top receivers in franchise history.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that they have agreed to sign Muhsin “Moose” Muhammad III as an undrafted free agent. His father is second in Panthers history in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns after playing 11 years for the team in the 1990s and 2000s.
The younger Muhammad also plays wideout and spent his college time at Texas A&M. He had 81 catches for 1,163 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The Panthers drafted Tetairoa McMillan in the first round of the draft and Jimmy Horn Jr. in the sixth round. Adam Thielen, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette, and David Moore are also in the receiver room in Carolina.
