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.
