Five ex-Wisconsin women’s basketball players suing former coach for alleged mental abuse

Five former members of the Wisconsin women’s basketball team are suing their former coach, Marisa Moseley, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court Friday.

The lawsuit, which was first reported by the Wisconsin State Journal, alleged the players were psychologically abused by Moseley and that the school responded with “a policy of laissez-faire inaction.”

Moseley, the Wisconsin Board of Regents and former Wisconsin associate athletic director for external communications Justin Doherty are listed as defendants, with the plaintiffs being Lexi Duckett, Krystyna Ellew, Mary Ferrito, Tara Stauffacher and Tessa Towers.

In their complaint, the plaintiffs stated that Moseley “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.”

Moseley stepped down as head coach of the Badgers in March for what she cited as personal reasons after being at the helm for four seasons.

The plaintiffs also allege Moseley invaded the players’ privacy during one-on-one meetings by “pressuring them to divulge everything from issues with their parents or romantic partners to their confidential mental health symptoms and treatment choices.”

“Moseley accomplished all of this by abusing her position of power by making threats about scholarships and playing time, and manipulating her players, claiming that she was simply ‘building trust’ with them on and off the court,” the complaint states.

In January, Towers posted a video to TikTok accusing Moseley of abusing players, saying the Wisconsin coach threatened to kick her off the team because of mental health reasons.

“My coach and staff said if I were to say anything remotely close to thoughts of su!c!de or de@+h to my therapist, I would be kicked off the team,” Towers wrote.

Towers alleged that Moseley excluded her from team trips and forced her to get tested for autism.

“I would leave my [coach’s] office bawling my eyes out every time,” she wrote in another slide on TikTok.

After taking a leave of absence from the Badgers in December 2022, Towers ultimately transferred to Ball State.

— With AP