David Cone and Longtime Partner Separate
David Cone has called things off with his longtime partner. According to Page Six, the former MLB pitcher who is also a commentator for the New York Yankees, has ended things with his girlfriend Taja Abitbol, who told Page Six she has been living in Florida with their 10-year-old son, Sammy, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cone, 59, currently lives in New York.
"We don't know [what we are]. It's rough with the travel situation. He's always on the road. During baseball season it's hard for us, and sometimes in the off-season it's not hard for us," Abitbol told Page Six. "It's complicated." Cone's rep told Page Six that he was undergoing hip surgery and was unable to comment.
Page Six went on to say that Cone has been "extremely generous with [Abitbol] financially" and "spent millions on her, bought her homes and helped support her businesses." Earlier this month, Abitbol, 50, spoke to the New York Post, and it seemed like she and Cone were still together, saying they are "longtime engagees." She also talked about not starting a fire to bid to appear on the reality series The Real Housewives of New York City. Abitbol and Cone are accused of setting a fire at the couple's apartment in Manhattan in 2019.
"I had never used this candle before," Abitbol said. "And it had actual sage leaves inside the candle — I did not know that. "I did not leave it unattended, but the sage somehow sparked and it went up in flames, but it didn't cause a [big] fire. The sprinklers went off and the building [staff] couldn't get the sprinklers to turn off. They had to break the hose to turn the water off. I was standing in water up to my knees."
Cone and Abitbol met at her former restaurant Taja in New York in 2007 and reconnected at a holiday party in 2010. Along with owning restaurants, Abitbol is a real estate investor who's been involved in the business for 23 years. Cone was an MLB player from 1986 to 2003 and spent the majority of his career with the Yankees (1995-2000) and the New York Mets (1987-1992, 2003). In his 18 MLB seasons, Cone was selected an All-Star five times, won five World Series Championships and pitched a perfect game in 1999.