Sheffield United coach says he was 'happy' to have Maddy Cusack on

Jonathan Morgan, the coach of former Sheffield United footballer Maddy Cusack, has told an inquest that he offered her a full-time contract at the club and was "really happy" to have her on his team. Cusack, 27, was found unconscious by her father David at their family home in Horsley, Derbyshire, on 20 September 2023 and was pronounced dead the same day.

Coach's testimony on relationship with Cusack

Morgan, who coached Cusack from February 2023 while she was at Sheffield United, continued his evidence to an inquest into Cusack's death at Chesterfield Coroner's Court on Tuesday. The inquest heard that Morgan had made Cusack his vice-captain at the club, which he described as a "big sign of respect." He added: "I wanted her in my senior leadership team, I wanted her opinions. You would not make someone vice-captain if you felt you did not have a good relationship with them."

However, the inquest previously heard that in the week after Cusack's death, her family sent a written complaint to Sheffield United, outlining issues allegedly stemming from her relationship with Morgan. Grace Riglar, who played for the team and was in a relationship with Cusack, said Cusack was "anxious" about Morgan joining the club after her experience of working with him at Leicester City. Cusack's mother Deborah described Morgan as her daughter's "nemesis," adding that he had made comments about her weight and relationship to "cut her down to size" and be "in control."

Morgan's concerns and interactions with Cusack

Beginning his evidence on Monday, the court heard that Morgan had told the Football Association (FA) that Cusack was "generally a liar," saying she had "omitted a lot of information" when she spoke to her family about his behaviour. On Tuesday, the inquest heard that Morgan was "anxious on a number of fronts" when he took over as head coach at Sheffield United in February 2023, as the team was in poor form and in a relegation battle. He said that if his joining the club was a "big issue," Cusack would have had the opportunity to disclose that. Morgan added that they had chatted a "number of times" at football matches since Cusack left Leicester City in 2019.

Referring to a call on 5 May 2023, when the coach offered her a full-time contract at the club, Morgan said: "On face value, I couldn't take anything other than she was happy and positive." However, the inquest heard that Morgan had expressed concerns in August 2023 that Cusack was "not well," and asked the club doctor, Dr Subhasis Basu, to speak to her. When questioned whether he had expressed concerns she was at risk of "self-harm or suicide," Morgan said he had not. The inquest was told that Basu updated Morgan to tell him he had spoken to Cusack, and had agreed a plan with her. Joseph O'Brien KC, representing Sheffield United, asked Morgan whether he took "comfort" from Basu speaking to Cusack—to which he agreed, and said Basu was "very good" and "experienced" at his job.

Final interactions before Cusack's death

The inquest was told that on 6 September 2023, Cusack sent a message to Morgan informing him she would not be attending training. Then, after she reached out, the pair agreed to a phone call a few days later on 11 September 2023. Morgan told the inquest that in the phone call, he was informed she had been to the GP and provided with medication, and was told she would take time off work. The pair also spoke about Cusack "potentially" attending a match on 30 September 2023, the inquest heard. He said the phone call provided him with "enough reassurance she wanted to get back into football." When asked whether he felt "reassured" by their conversation, Morgan said: "I wouldn't use the word reassured, but the information she gave me was a positive step forward, in my opinion." The inquest heard that "no documentation" was made of the conversation, and afterwards Morgan updated Basu. Questioning Morgan, assistant coroner Sophie Cartwright KC asked the coach whether he consulted HR given it was his "first experience" of a player being off work with mental health issues.