Ed Cooley claims Virginia job rumors have "zero truth," aims to retire as Georgetown icon

Georgetown Hoyas’ men’s basketball coach Ed Cooley shuts down the rumors linking him to be Tony Bennett’s successor at Virginia. Despite Ron Sanchez being named the interim coach for the Cavaliers in the 2024-25 season, Cooley’s name surfaced as the frontrunner for the head coaching role earlier this week.

However, in an interview with FOX Sports, Cooley not only bashed the rumors but also promised to finish his coaching career, igniting the Hoya Saxa chants.

“Zero truth to that (rumors),” Ed Cooley said. "I’m where I need to be. I’m where I want to be. This will be my last college job I have. My goal is to make Georgetown basketball powerful, inspire other people. That’s all false news. And it's unfortunate that people jeopardize livelihoods, jeopardize people, it's unfortunate.”

"But Martin Luther King's dream will protect them too. They can dream big somewhere else. But don't dream on my dream. I'm living that dream. And it's as a Georgetown Hoya."

Ed Cooley's comments display his passion for leading the Hoyas. By invoking Martin Luther King, he asserts his intentions and spreads a broader message about respect for one’s goals.

Cooley joined Georgetown last year with an ambition to return the program to its glory days in the NCAA tournament. The Hoyas churned out a dismal 9-23 record in the 2023-24 season.

Before Georgetown, Cooley coached the Providence Friars for 12 years, earning seven NCAA tourney bids and mounting a 242-153 record—a winning percentage over 60%.

A fake account was the epicenter of Ed Cooley's Virginia rumors

While there were plenty of sources citing Cooley's potential move to Virginia, an X account named Simon Charles headlined the rumor mill. The user also claimed that Cooley is being offered a 6-year deal by the Virginia Cavaliers. The post generated 1.5k likes, over 100 comments and over 200 reposts.

In hindsight, Ed Cooley's interview snippet currently has less than 300 likes, 180 reposts and 150 comments.

This is not the first time the parody account has fooled fans. In 2023, the user spread fake news about Patrick Mahomes, citing that the quarterback used performance-enhancing drugs to play through pain in the Super Bowl. The post garnered over 2 million views.