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Real Housewives of Rhode Island cast member Rosie DiMare has opened up rumors surrounding an alleged affair with former Providence basketball coach Ed Cooley.
She vehemently denies the accusation. DiMare insists she has never met Cooley.
She posted a long response on social media after seeing the rumor resurface. She believed a rebuttal was necessary after seeing the story expand beyond reality TV and into the world of college sports.
Did Rosie DiMare have an affair with Ed Cooley?
Not according to the television star. DiMare clarified any false allegations online with a video on Instagram in which she called out sports personality Dave Portnoy, among other critics.
“I’ve been very quiet about a lot of things because I think it’s so stupid,” she said, “but I figured I should say my piece. First and foremost, I do not know Ed Cooley.
“I have never met Ed Cooley. I have never been in a car with Ed Cooley. I have never had an affair with Ed Cooley. He’s never paid me money. He’s never bought a house for me. I actually just don’t know him.”
That response came following a cast member’s accusation that she accepted hush money from a notable basketball coach in Rhode Island to keep quiet on the relationship. She was then said to have used that money to buy a home.
Ed Cooley’s name was never mentioned in the accusation. An assumption was made given his recent exit from Providence.
Why did Cooley leave Rhode Island?
The basketball coach accepted a job with conference rival Georgetown after leading the Friars to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.
Ed Cooley was one year removed from his best season with the program, winning 27 games and the Big East regular season crown. He won 21 games the following year to make his seventh Big Dance in a decade.
That success made Providence fans salty following the departure. By all accounts, he left for a better job with a bigger brand and larger budget. His former fanbase believed there was another reason for the treachery.
An unfounded rumor of an affair surfaced online. Many took the recent Real Housewives of Rhode Island accusation as confirmation of those claims.
Rosie DiMare rejected the insinuations, as she’s done in the past. There was no affair with Ed Cooley. We’ll see if it’s enough to make the story finally disappear.