Five former Wisconsin women’s basketball players have filed a federal lawsuit against former coach Marisa Moseley, former sport administrator Justin Doherty and the Wisconsin Board of Regents, saying that they were “psychologically abused by their college basketball coach and the university that failed to protect them.”
In the 51-page complaint filed in Wisconsin Western District Court on Friday, former players Alexis Duckett, Krystyna Ellew, Mary Ferrito, Tara Stauffacher and Tessa Towers accused Moseley of psychological abuse, mental cruelty, retaliation and discrimination.
“She unconstitutionally toyed with the mental health of her players, including Plaintiffs, as a means of exerting control over every facet of their lives, including retaliating against them based on their protected speech and expressive acts and discriminating against them based on their disabilities or perceived disabilities,” the lawsuit said.
A Wisconsin athletic department spokesman referred all inquiries to the university’s strategic communications office.
“We haven’t seen the suit and can’t offer any comment on it at this time,” University of Wisconsin-Madison spokesman John Lucas told The Athletic on Saturday.
Moseley resigned in March after four seasons leading the program. The lawsuit says that during her tenure, 11 players transferred with eligibility, including the five filing suit.
The complaint alleges that Moseley interfered with her players’ mental health treatment, pried into players’ personal and romantic lives and threatened players about scholarships and playing time. The lawsuit also says that Doherty, a longtime Wisconsin administrator and the sport supervisor who retired in April, was made aware of the issues by both players and their parents and was involved in removing players from the team.
The lawsuit says that “medical providers treated a disproportionate number of Moseley’s players for mental health issues,” and that “several players required emergency medical treatment or treatment at a mental health facility.”
According to the filing, university doctors diagnosed several players with “serious mental illnesses and mood disorders and placed them on numerous prescription mental health medications.” The lawsuit also alleges that the university “coerced players, following a mental health incident, to sign broad agreements releasing their medical records if they wished to remain on the team.”
The players seek undetermined punitive and compensatory damages plus attorney fees and demand a jury trial.
Under Moseley, the Badgers never had a winning season. She compiled a 47-75 record and was 21-51 in Big Ten competition. Before coaching at Wisconsin, Moseley was the head coach at Boston University, and previously held assistant coaching roles at UConn, Minnesota and Denver.
(Photo: Mark Hoffman / USA Today via Imagn Images)
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