Maddy Cusack's Struggles: An Inquest into Her Mental Health and Coach's Comments

Former Sheffield United midfielder Maddy Cusack was left feeling “anxious”, “paranoid” and targeted by “mind games” from her coach in the weeks before her death, an inquest has heard.

Cusack, 27, was found unconscious by her father, David, at the family home in Horsley, Derbyshire, on 20 September 2023. She died later that day.

At Chesterfield Coroner’s Court on Tuesday, the hearing was told that then Sheffield United Women manager Jonathan Morgan had previously called Cusack a “psycho” from the touchline and later made comments about her weight and her relationship with a team-mate.

“Psycho” jibe and a shift in status

Giving evidence, Grace Riglar – who played alongside Cusack and was in a relationship with her – described how her partner had been uneasy from the moment Morgan’s appointment was announced, because of an earlier spell working under him at Leicester City.

“I think it was stuff she told me about her previous experience prior to Jonathan coming to Sheffield,” Riglar said.

She recalled one incident from that time which had stayed with Cusack. During a match with Morgan in charge, Cusack had done “something on the pitch” and, from the sideline, heard him call her a “psycho”.

“I don't think she let anyone know those types of comments affected her, but they did and they made her uncomfortable,” Riglar told the court.

The inquest heard that when Morgan took over at Sheffield United, Cusack’s status in the team changed. A regular starter and a key figure, she suddenly found herself drifting in and out of the XI.

“She was used to starting every game, she was an important member of the team. When Jonathan came, she was in and out from the starting team a bit,” Riglar said.

“Her going from starting, to being on the bench quite a lot... she saw that as a setback. That impacted her a lot.

“I just think she almost felt like it was a bit of a personal attack, and that Jonathan was playing mind games with her by starting her one week and dropping her the next.”

Relationship under scrutiny

Riglar also described how Morgan’s approach to relationships within the squad added to Cusack’s discomfort.

When he arrived at the club, Morgan told players in an initial meeting that anyone in a relationship within the team had to inform him. For Cusack and Riglar, who wanted to keep their private life away from the dressing room, that landed heavily.

Riglar said Cusack “found it uncomfortable” when Morgan would refer to her as “Mrs Cusack” in front of other players.

“We wanted to keep our relationship very professional. The football side and relationship side were very separate,” she said.

The court heard that Cusack felt increasingly isolated.

“She didn't really have anyone she could speak to without it getting back to Jonathan,” Riglar said, adding that her partner had become “paranoid” at the start of the new season.

Weight comments and drastic lifestyle changes

Riglar told the inquest that Morgan had also commented on Cusack’s weight. After that, she said, Cusack altered her eating and training habits in a way that alarmed those close to her.

She began cutting out carbohydrates, skipping breakfast and going on extra runs after team training.

“She was one of the fittest players on the team anyway,” Riglar said, underlining how unnecessary those extra measures seemed to those around her.

The inquest was told Cusack had been signed off by a doctor from both her part-time playing duties and her full-time marketing role at Sheffield United.

Away from the pitch, she was talking about escape. Cusack had told Riglar she wanted to move to Dubai, become a flight attendant and had started looking for new jobs online.

Those plans now sit in stark contrast to the reality that followed, as the court continues to piece together the pressures surrounding one of English women’s football’s most respected figures in the final weeks of her life.