Last year, ESPN power couple Jalen Rose and Molly Qerim divorced after three years of marriage and five years of dating.
The split was said to be "amicable."
However, there were all sorts of rumors Molly had been getting it on with another ESPN personality: Stephen A. Smith.
Rose addressed that in an interview with GQ.
"In my personal relationship, it was laughable to me, to see [Molly Qerim] and I mutually part ways, be in accord about why we’re parting ways, and still see people speculating on why. Not only speculating — in particular saying it was because her and Stephen A. Smith had a relationship," Rose said.
According to Rose, he talked to Stephen A. about the rumors.
"It was trending [online], [Smith] was trending, [Qerim] was trending, I was trending. It was a real thing," Rose said. "And, like, am I about to respond to that? It gave me a real fork in the road. But I didn’t, because I knew it wasn’t true. I would just be fueling those people. Not responding, and finally sprinkling some here and there, it made people who ran with it look less credible. We discussed it. It’s why none of us said anything. People would say, ‘Jalen’s a sucker, Stephen A. snatched his wife and he up there workin’ with him,’ or ‘Look, at Molly, she was talkin’ to Jalen yesterday now she kickin it with…’ That ain’t happen. We all looked at it like: it was such a reach. That’s why none of us have spoken on it.”
Rose, Smith and Qerim still all work at ESPN and are said to be on good terms.