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 spokesman John Lucas said school officials hadn't yet seen the suit and couldn't comment on it at this time.
In January, Wisconsin officials said they were looking into allegations Towers had posted on social media saying that 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.
AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
FILE - Wisconsin head coach Marisa Moseley reacts during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against UCLA, on Feb. 26, 2025, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio's capital city said Wednesday that they have gathered enough evidence to link a man charged in the double homicide of his ex-wife and her husband in their Columbus home last month to the killings.
Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in an Associated Press interview that authorities now believe Michael David McKee, 39, a vascular surgeon who was living in Chicago, was the person seen walking down a dark alley near Monique and Spencer Tepe's home in video footage from the night of the murders. His vehicle has also been identified traveling near the house, and a firearm found in his Illinois residence also traced to evidence at the scene, she said.
An attorney representing McKee could not be identified through court listings.
His arrest Saturday capped off nearly two weeks of speculation surrounding the mysterious killings that attracted national attention. No obvious signs of forced entry were found at the Tepes’ home. Police also said no weapon was found there, and murder-suicide was not suspected. Further, nothing was stolen, and the couple’s two young children and their dog were left unharmed in the home.
“What we can tell you is that we have evidence linking the vehicle that he was driving to the crime scene. We also have evidence of him coming and going in that particular vehicle,” Bryant told the AP. “What I can also share with you is that there were multiple firearms taken from the property of McKee, and one of those firearms did match preliminarily from a NIBIN (ballistic) hit back to this actual homicide.”
Bryant said that the department wants the public to keep the tips coming. Investigators were able to follow up on every phone call, email and private tip shared from the community to the department and some of that information allowed them to gather enough evidence to make an arrest, she said.
That work culminated in the apprehension of McKee in Rockford, Illinois, where the hospital where he worked — OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center — has said it is cooperating with the investigation. He has been charged with premeditated aggravated murder in the shooting deaths. Monique Tepe, who divorced McKee in 2017, was 39. Her husband, a dentist whose absence from work that morning prompted the first call to police, was 37.
McKee waived his right to an extradition hearing on Monday during an appearance in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in Winnebago County, Illinois, where he remains in jail. Bryant said officials are working out details of his return to Ohio, with no exact arrival date set. His next hearing in Winnebago County is scheduled for Jan. 23.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said Wednesday that the city doesn't prioritize high-profile cases any more than others, noting that the city's closure rate on criminal cases exceeds the national average. The city also celebrated in 2025 its lowest level of homicides and violent crime since 2007, Ginther said.
“Every case matters. Ones that receive national attention, and those that don’t,” he told the AP. “Every family deserves closure and for folks to be held accountable, and the rest of the community deserves to be safe when dangerous people are taken off the street.”
Ginther said it is vital for central Ohioans to continue to grieve with the Tepes' family, which includes two young children, and loved ones, as they cope with “such an unimaginable loss.”
“I want our community to wrap our arms around this family and these children for years to come,” he said.
This undated booking photo provided by the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, shows Michael David McKee, who was charged in the killing of his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, and her husband Spencer Tepe at their Columbus, Ohio, home on Dec. 30, 2025. (Winnebago County Sheriff's Office via AP)
Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)
This image taken from video shows Michael David McKee walking into the courtroom on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Rockford, Ill. (WIFR News/Pool Photo via AP)
