Bravo’s newest breakout star is suddenly tangled in rumors of a salacious affair, a supposed hush-money coverup — and now Dave Portnoy has thrown gasoline on the fire.
“The Real Housewives of Rhode Island” cast member Rosie Woods blasted the Barstool founder after he amplified online rumors linking her to Ed Cooley, the former Providence Friars coach, who is now leading Georgetown Hoyas basketball.
The drama exploded after Woods’ Bravo co-star Kelsey Swanson hinted during a recent episode that Woods allegedly had an affair with a married basketball coach who supposedly helped fund the purchase of her new house.
Cooley’s name was never mentioned on-air, but social media detectives quickly connected the dots thanks to lingering rumors that have followed the coach since his shocking 2023 exit from Providence.
Then Portnoy entered the chat.
Portnoy, never exactly known for subtlety, posted a video directly naming Cooley while recapping the Housewives chaos for his millions of followers. Sports fans are long used to Portnoy diving headfirst into controversy, feuding with athletes, coaches and league executives alike.
But lately, the media personality has expanded his commentary empire into reality TV messiness via his “Tea by the Sea” TikTok segments, taking aim at influencers and social media stars with the same energy he once reserved for LeBron James and Roger Goodell.
Woods responded with a fiery Instagram denial, after Portnoy raised the issue on “straight man Twitter” remarking that she had been “very quiet about a lot of things because it’s so stupid.”
“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 has never paid me money,” Woods said, insisting she and husband of nearly two years, Rich DiMare, purchased their home themselves.
“We bought our house ourselves with the money we make at our big grown up jobs,” Woods said. “That’s how you pay for things when you’re a grown up.”
Cooley, 56, is currently married to Nurys Cooley and the couple have two children. During Cooley’s 12 seasons at Providence, he transformed the Friars into a consistent NCAA Tournament team, highlighted by a 27-win Sweet 16 run in 2022.
His jump to Georgetown was viewed as a seismic Big East betrayal, with Hoyas boosters hailing it as a “coup” for the once-proud program. Since making the jump, though, Cooley has yet to find the success he had at his previous stop, posting a record of 42–57 (.424) over his first three seasons.
Now Bravo’s cameras and Portnoy’s clips are dragging the coach back into Rhode Island gossip whether he likes it or not.
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