Latest news with #MarisaMoseley
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Wisconsin women's basketball players file lawsuit against former coach, alleging psychological abuse
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) This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Wisconsin Badgers, Women's College Basketball, College Sports, Women's College Sports, women's sports 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Former Wisconsin women's basketball players file lawsuit against former coach, alleging psychological abuse
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.' Advertisement 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.' Advertisement 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. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Ex-Wisconsin players say in lawsuit that former coach Marisa Moseley psychologically abused them
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Five former Wisconsin women's basketball players have filed a lawsuit saying they received psychological abuse from ex-Badgers coach Marisa Moseley and that the university responded with 'a policy of laissez-faire inaction.' The lawsuit filed Friday in federal court lists the Wisconsin Board of Regents, Moseley and former Wisconsin associate athletic director for external communications Justin Doherty as defendants. The plaintiffs are Lexi Duckett, Krystyna Ellew, Mary Ferrito, Tara Stauffacher and Tessa Towers.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Ex-Wisconsin players say in lawsuit that former coach Marisa Moseley psychologically abused them
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Five former Wisconsin women's basketball players have filed a lawsuit saying they received psychological abuse from ex-Badgers coach Marisa Moseley and that the university responded with 'a policy of laissez-faire inaction.' The lawsuit filed Friday in federal court lists the Wisconsin Board of Regents, Moseley and former Wisconsin associate athletic director for external communications Justin Doherty as defendants. The plaintiffs are Lexi Duckett, Krystyna Ellew, Mary Ferrito, Tara Stauffacher and Tessa Towers. The lawsuit was first reported by the Wisconsin State Journal. Moseley announced in March that she was resigning for personal reasons. She went 47-75 in four seasons. In their complaint, the plaintiffs say 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.' They say Moseley intruded on players' privacy in 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. For example, the complaint says Ellew was experiencing a mental health event when Moseley kept her alone in the back of a locker room and threatened to notify police unless she agreed to check into a mental health facility. According to the complaint, several players and their parents reported abuse allegations to Doherty, who retired earlier this year. The complaint says Wisconsin adopted 'a policy of laissez-faire inaction' rather than intervening to protect the players. Wisconsin didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment. In January, Wisconsin officials said they were looking into allegations Towers had posted on social media saying she was mistreated by Moseley and her staff. The lawsuit filed Friday alleges that Towers was placed on 11 new medications in less than a year after she disclosed her ADHD diagnosis. The complaint says Towers' mental health deteriorated as Moseley singled her out. 'Tessa's teammates found Moseley's behavior towards their friend and teammate disturbing,' the complaint says. 'Her teammates knew about Tessa's ADHD, and they watched their coach bully her because of it. Then, as they witnessed Tessa's mental health problems escalating in multiple crises, they observed their coach's behavior grow even worse. They could do nothing about it since Moseley threatened to reduce their playing time if they visited Tessa in the mental health facility or continued their friendships with her.' Moseley stepped down following a 13-16 season that ended with a first-round loss in the Big Ten Tournament. Wisconsin has since hired former Missouri coach Robin Pingeton to take over the program. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women's college basketball: and
USA Today
11-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Wisconsin women's basketball to renew in-state rivalry this fall
Wisconsin women's basketball to renew in-state rivalry this fall The Wisconsin women's basketball program will renew its I-94 rivalry with Marquette as part of a home-and-home series beginning on Nov. 8, 2025. UW will travel east to Milwaukee for the first leg of the series, then welcome the Golden Eagles to the Kohl Center in 2026. The two squads last squared off in 2017. The Golden Eagles own a 6-5 mark against the Badgers since the 2001-02 season. Wisconsin's Nov. 8 contest against the in-state rival also marks the first game the Badgers' program has announced under new head coach Robin Pingeton, who took over following former head coach Marisa Moseley's resignation earlier this year. The Badgers, who went 13-17 during the 2024-25 slate, will open the 2025-26 campaign with an entirely new roster. Former Wisconsin star Serah Williams and starting center Carter McCray transferred following the season's end, prompting Pingeton to look for talent in the portal. The former Missouri coach responded with seven transfer commitments. Those include Croatian center Dorja Zaja, Illinois forward Shay Bollin, Stony Brook guard Breauna Ware, Howard guard Destiny Howell, NC State guard Laci Steele, Southern Illinois forward Gift Uchenna and Missouri State guard Kyrah Daniels. The Badgers also signed class of 2025 standout Nikki Kerstein in April, bolstering the program's backcourt depth. While both Williams and McCray departed, starting guard Ronnie Porter returns for her fourth season in Madison as the Badgers' leading veteran presence. She, alongside new acquisitions Uchenna and Howell, projects to spearhead Wisconsin's offensive attack this coming season. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
