Partnered female has male friend...opinions please?

I am a 57-year-old female who has been in a up-and-down relationship for 16 years. There have been some great times between us and some difficult times. There has been some cheating on his part (twice) and he has a great deal of insecurity.

My personal feeling is the cheater always feels cheated upon - because he/she does it, he/she feels anyone else is capable of it as well. He does not take into account a person's integrity or the monogomy the woman has maintained throughout. Despite the difficulties we have had, we remain caring and together.

I've as well been divorced for 17 years. About 4 years ago, I reconnected at a social event with a male friend, Rick - actually, my ex's (still) best friend and the best man at our wedding. I have known Rick for over 35 years. I have stayed in touch with Rick over the past few years and occasionally - maybe every 3 months or so - we've met for a couple of hours, at the most, of pool or a couple of drinks, just to catch up on news, who he's dating, small talk. This has occured both when my current relationship was on and, as well, during the times there were difficulties. The friendship with Rick has never been anything other than that -no flirting, nothing suggestive, definitely no intimacy of any kind whatsoever. I honestly feel this is just a good friend I have had for a very long time, someone I respect, but I 100% don't have any romantic feelings for him, and vice versa. On the occasions when I have hung out with him for a couple of hours, I have always given my boyfriend the head's up about what's going on. I have never in our 16 years together given him reason to doubt me; I've never lied to him about this friendship - I believe honesty is the best policy. And I firmly believe that after all these years of friendship with this guy if I were to have feelings for him I would have had them by now - and I don't.

He has an issue with me maintaining this friendship and I have an issue giving up a friend - and only a friend - that I have had longer than any other friendship I have had. I have absolutely no feelings towards this man and I have told my partner that. He argues that if I care about him and our relationship, I should give up this friendship; my feeling is that I am trust-worthy, always have been, and should not have to sacrifice the friendship because of his insecurity. To me, the issue is within himself.

He's asked me to put it to the Y/A community. Opinions, please.

Please don't suggest that we do something as a threesome - Rick was and still is my ex's best friend and that would just be too awkward.