Jonathan Morgan, Maddy Cusack’s former manager at Sheffield United, labelled her as “generally a liar” during a Football Association investigation into her death, an inquest has heard. Cusack died in Derbyshire on 20 September 2023 at the age of 27. Chesterfield coroner’s court heard evidence last week from her parents, who believe Morgan was integral to her mental health deteriorating. Giving evidence on Monday, Morgan denied ever shouting at Cusack or calling her a “psycho” and said he had been concerned about her wellbeing.
FA Investigation Transcript Revealed
Separate to the inquest, the FA conducted its own investigation after Cusack’s death. While findings have not been published, hundreds of pages of evidence were made available to the coroner. Morgan was interviewed by the FA on 9 May 2024. Asked about a transcript where he said it was “hard to be negative about someone who has died” but “she was generally a liar”, Morgan defended his comments, stating: “There’s definitely evidence to show Maddy omitted information to her family about my support for her.”
Morgan’s Coaching History with Cusack
Morgan, who took charge at Sheffield United in February 2023 and previously coached Cusack at Leicester City in 2018, admitted to calling her “bottom-heavy” during a meeting with Cusack and the team’s physio. He told the court he was referring to the muscles in her legs while discussing a strength-and-conditioning programme, not her weight. Morgan accepted he had “struggled to manage” Cusack at Leicester, where she left midway through the season due to a “lack of playing time”. He added: “It hadn’t worked from a footballing point of view.”
Team Selection and Medical Advice
During a lengthy and tense exchange with the family’s legal representative, Dean Armstrong KC, Morgan was probed about omitting Cusack from his starting lineup for his first match in charge. He stressed he had received medical advice from physio Francesca Carr that Cusack was not fit for selection, which concurred with Carr’s court comments. Cusack’s medical records were lost during a switch to a different records-keeping system, according to former club doctor Subhashis Basu. Armstrong suggested Morgan was “trying to make a point” by leaving her out, but Morgan said: “She was injured when I first came in. I’m not really sure that’s me ‘showing who is boss’.”
Concerns About Cusack’s Wellbeing
Morgan said he had been concerned about Cusack’s wellbeing in August 2023 when he noticed her looking “dishevelled”. He explained: “Maddy, when she came to training, prided herself on her kit looking quite well washed, quite well presented [but] it got to the point where I thought she’d just got out of bed and turned up.” He spoke to her and her main concerns were that her house had not been a good investment. Feedback from his captain and assistant manager was that Cusack was “missing Grace”, her girlfriend Grace Riglar, who had left Sheffield United for Lewes FC in summer 2023.
Allegations of Humiliation Denied
Morgan was asked about claims he humiliated Cusack by calling Riglar “Mrs Cusack” in front of the team, which he said “never happened”. He admitted to saying, in front of only Cusack and Riglar, “here are the girlfriends”, which he described as “a tongue-in-cheek comment” and “a bit of banter”, adding: “I know it was banter because their next banter [back] was about my weight and we preceded to laugh together.”
Morgan’s evidence session will resume on Tuesday morning. The inquest is scheduled to last until Friday. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123.
