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Maddy Cusack was concerned she would be stigmatised by Sheffield United and head coach Jonathan Morgan if she disclosed her mental health problems in the weeks leading up to her death, according to her father.
The former Sheffield United women's vice-captain was found dead at her home in Horsley, Derbyshire, by her father, David Cusack, on September 20, 2023, at the age of 27. An inquest into her death at Chesterfield Coroner's Court began on Monday, June 29, nearly three years later.
Maddy joined Sheffield United from Leicester City in 2019, having previously worked with Morgan. She went on to become the Blades' first player to make 100 appearances.
Her father, David, said her departure from Leicester City was principally driven by a strained relationship with Morgan, adding: 'She left because she had never come across a character like that before in football.'
Leicester City Women were owned at the time by Morgan's family, prior to the King Power takeover in 2020. David said he believed she was put under pressure to leave after it became apparent the team would not gain promotion.
'I believe that the family decided that they wanted to offload players,' he said. 'Either by paying contracts up – which is expensive – or you make life so unpleasant for them that they leave.
'Madeleine was dependent on me at that time, so when she was unhappy there because life had been made so unpleasant for her, she decided that she wanted to leave. You can forgo your money and look around for another club. She was so happy to get out of there in November 2018.'
He described her move to Sheffield United as a welcome reset. Maddy was fulfilled by her part-time playing role alongside her work with the club's Community Trust, with David praising the influence of Carla Ward and, later, Neil Redfearn. She also bought a new house, which he said she was 'very proud of'.
Sheffield United footballer Maddy Cusack was found dead at home on September 20, 2023
Jonathan Morgan, pictured today, was appointed Sheffield United's head coach in February 2022, a moment which dad David Cusack describes as having left Maddy 'dismayed'
'She had some sort of inner propulsion which drove her. She was so driven. She did a lot of training and kept herself fit. Anybody describing Maddy would say she was a proper pro.'
Maddy, who graduated from the University of Derby with First-Class Honours, later joined the club's marketing department as a marketing executive alongside her football career.
Morgan's appointment as head coach in February 2022 was, David said, a turning point, leaving Maddy 'dismayed by the possibility of him coming back into her life'.
'We'd taken the view that he (Morgan) was in our rear-view from September 2018,' David said. 'From when he was appointed, she played seldom. She took it that it was her "here we go again".'
Morgan, who was present at the inquest, has denied any wrongdoing. He said that he had told her at the end of the 2022-23 season that the next would be her 'best one yet'.
He also said he had been informed Maddy had a foot injury upon his arrival and argued this was the main reason she was left out of his starting line-up for his first three games in charge, despite having started regularly beforehand.
By summer 2023, Maddy had been offered a new full-time contract. However, David said Morgan 'didn't want to offer Maddy a new contract' and that her role in the marketing department meant she was 'forced on him'. He added: 'I don't know that, but that's my surmise.'
'She became unwell in July and I think that was a result of the contract,' David said. 'She'd had to wait and it never materialised until the end of June. She was told that there was no money left.'
Maddy was upgraded from a part-time contract where she was on £6,000-a-year to full-time where she was on £18,000-a-year. She continued to work for the club's marketing department, although striking the balance between the two began to become a strain on both her and her finances.
'She still wanted to do justice to her marketing job,' David said. 'Various people would say the transition to full-time was a 'shambles'. The venues for training would change suddenly, the time would change suddenly. If she had turned up late, they in the club's marketing department would have understood, but she couldn't do that. She wanted to do justice to her roles.'
As for her sticking to a meticulous athlete's diet, he said: 'I think, towards the end, she was demotivated. She didn't let herself go, or anything like that. She was demotivated or deflated.'
Cusack's family - brother Richard with his partner, and parents Deborah and David - are pictured outside Chesterfield Coroners' Court in January of last year
He continued: 'She'd lost her bounce. She was anxious. She was worried about how she was going to combine the two roles. The money was less than it was the previous year. She just lost her joie de vivre. Grace (Riglar, her team-mate and partner) joined Lewes in Brighton. She was disappointed by that. But it all came back to the relationship with Mr Morgan.'
Asked what Maddy thought of Morgan, he said: 'It was his way of dealing with people. Like it was "my way or the highway". He couldn't deal with established players because they could see through him.'
Morgan, who is representing himself at the inquest, argued he had brought Maddy lunch when she was short of time so she could attend her marketing role, and that he had worked hard to secure her a new contract. He also argued that his handing her the vice-captaincy of the team showed his belief in her and suggested that players approached by the Cusack family to give evidence were selectively chosen to 'misrepresent' him.
In response, David said: '(The players) sought us out. The general tenet was that when you were a favourite you were a favourite, but when you weren't it got very unpleasant.'
In the weeks before her death, Maddy's parents sought a private psychotherapist, with David saying that the club had offered 'no support'. She was prescribed antidepressants and sleeping pills, and reluctantly called in sick to work. David said she 'didn't want' Morgan or the club to be aware of her mental health issues.
'Maddy felt that if she disclosed her mental health issues – she saw it happen to other people – that would be an excuse and she would be out. It wouldn't be the first time that an organisation stigmatised someone for not being well enough to work, would it? I'm not saying that's what would have happened, but that's how she felt.'
He added: 'She felt like the club didn't take the women's football team that seriously. If it's a battle between me and the manager, they'll go with Mr Morgan. That's what she believed.'
Asked about a comment by Maddy that she had 'no future', her father said: 'She's got to give up something. She couldn't carry on like this. We thought she was depressed, not suicidal.'
David discovered Maddy at the family home in the late afternoon of September 20. David attempted to administer CPR, and called for an ambulance.
Less than a week after her death, the Cusack family submitted a formal complaint to the club outlining concerns about her treatment and mental wellbeing.
'I wanted to make sure the club knew what had happened. I wanted Mr Morgan to be held responsible. We didn't want to let it go and move on,' David said on Monday.
'The other narratives that are being pushed – being conflicted about her sexuality, money worries – it's all a smokescreen. They've got to invent something else.'
Sheffield United commissioned an internal investigation, which concluded in December 2023 and found no evidence of misconduct.
In February 2024, the club dismissed Morgan following the emergence of information regarding a relationship he had with a player during his previous tenure at Leicester City between 2014 and 2021.
The club said the dismissal was unrelated to the FA's investigation, though it was welcomed by the Cusack family at the time.
The inquest continues.
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