Former Sheffield United player Maddy Cusack would still be alive if the coach of the women’s team had not been employed by the club, her mother has told an inquest.
Chesterfield Coroner’s Court heard that 27-year-old Ms Cusack was found unresponsive at her home address in Horsley, Derbyshire, on September 20 2023 after her manager Jonathan Morgan made comments about her weight and relationship to “cut her down to size”.
Ms Cusack’s family sent a written complaint to Sheffield United after her death, outlining issues allegedly stemming from her relationship with Mr Morgan.
On Thursday, Ms Cusack’s mother Deborah Cusack told the inquest that Mr Morgan was like her daughter’s “nemesis”, who was referred to as a “prison warden” in messages between teammates.
Under cross examination by Mr Morgan, who is representing himself in the inquest, Mrs Cusack said: “You need to understand I’m not blaming you for what she did but you made her feel how she felt.
“It’s the little knocks every now and again. You had to come in and cut her down to size.
“She was one of the best-known players (at United). Like you did at Leicester (City), you needed to be in control.
“There’s a direct line – if you hadn’t been employed, Maddy would be here today.”
Mrs Cusack said her daughter, who also worked in the club’s marketing department, was “absolutely devastated” about Mr Morgan joining the club because of her experience of working with him years earlier at Leicester City, and worried that “history was repeating itself”.
She told the court: “It’s like your nemesis returning, isn’t it?
“We had never come across a character like that before as a family. We don’t do the mind games.”
Speaking about Ms Cusack’s time playing under Mr Morgan at Leicester, the mother said: “She had a dreadful, dreadful time there.
“She was glad to get out of that situation. It was a terrible time.”
The inquest heard that Mr Morgan called Ms Cusack “bottom heavy” after he joined United, which prompted the player to “try to get fitter and thinner” by changing her eating habits and going on runs after training.
Mrs Cusack said: “That undermined Madeleine and knocked her confidence and all that she knew because you were questioning the state of her fitness.”
She told the inquest that players who were sidelined by Mr Morgan would send text messages between them to “get them through” it.
She said: “They refer to them being in prison when sidelined, on parole when playing and Jonathan Morgan as a prison warden.
“All of those players then left because they could. Madeleine had her (marketing) job.
“She was literally on her own. I thought she felt lonely from that and isolated. By this time, she had no confidence in anything.”
The team’s former physiotherapist, Francesca Carr, agreed on Wednesday that it was in Ms Cusack’s “best interests” not to put her in the starting line-up for Mr Morgan’s first competitive game at the club because of an injury to her ankle.
Mrs Cusack said her daughter’s relationship with Grace Riglar, who had also played for United, was a “non-issue” and they welcomed her into their family.
The team’s former captain Sophie Barker told the inquest on Wednesday that she thought the main reason for Ms Cusack’s decline in mental health was because Ms Riglar had moved to another football club far away.
Mrs Cusack said she did not think this was true.
She said: “They were still very happy. Yes, it wasn’t ideal. In football, that’s something that’s not uncommon.
“I didn’t see that was going to be a problem to sustain that relationship in the future, and didn’t get that vibe from Madeleine.”
She told the inquest that her daughter would have been “absolutely humiliated beyond belief” when Mr Morgan called Ms Riglar “Mrs Cusack” in front of their teammates, because she wanted to keep her relationship private.
Mrs Cusack said the club’s doctor, Dr Subhashis Basu, called her husband after their daughter died asking if they wanted to donate Ms Cusack’s brain for research, which they refused.
Dr Basu told the inquest on Thursday that Ms Cusack’s medical records from her time at United have been lost.
Asked by assistant coroner Sophie Cartwright KC why he did not bring this to the attention of the coronial investigation, Dr Basu said: “If that question had been asked to me directly, I would have done.”
Dean Armstrong KC, representing Ms Cusack’s family, asked Dr Basu why he did not go to United’s data protection officer about the data loss.
He said: “My view was to contact the medical records company first to try and address the problem. I believe I did raise it.”
He later added: “I was slow to report that. I did raise it eventually.”
The inquest continues.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email [email protected], or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
