Maddy Cusack's Inquest Reveals Coach's Mind Games and Pressure

The pressure points in Maddy Cusack’s final months are beginning to emerge in stark detail.

An inquest at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court heard that the former Sheffield United midfielder’s coach had called her a “psycho” and was, in her eyes, playing “mind games” with her in the period before her death.

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.

Concerns Over Coach’s Treatment

The court heard evidence about Cusack’s relationship with Jonathan Morgan, then manager of Sheffield United’s women’s team and previously her coach at Leicester City.

Grace Riglar, Cusack’s teammate and partner, told the inquest that Cusack felt deeply uneasy when she learned Morgan would be joining Sheffield United, based on her earlier experience under him.

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

She described an incident from Cusack’s time at Leicester City. During a match, after something Cusack did on the pitch, Morgan allegedly shouted “psycho” at her from the touchline.

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

“Mind Games” Over Team Selection

On the pitch, Cusack had long been a central figure. A regular starter. A key presence.

That changed when Morgan arrived at Sheffield United, the inquest heard.

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

“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.”

The pattern, in Cusack’s mind, was not tactical rotation. It was personal.

Relationship Brought Into the Open

Riglar also detailed how their relationship became a point of discomfort.

When Morgan joined Sheffield United, she said he told players in their first meeting that anyone in a relationship within the squad had to disclose it to him.

Riglar and Cusack, who wanted to keep their private life separate from the dressing room, suddenly felt exposed.

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

Instead, she told the inquest, Morgan would sometimes refer to her as “Mrs Cusack” in front of other players. What might sound like a throwaway line in a relaxed environment landed, for them, as something else entirely: unwanted attention, an intrusion into a space they were trying to keep professional.

Comments on Weight and Changing Habits

The inquest also heard that Morgan made a comment about Cusack’s weight, which, according to Riglar, triggered a sharp change in the player’s behaviour.

One of the fittest players in the squad, Cusack nonetheless altered her eating and training routines. Riglar said she cut out carbohydrates, skipped breakfast and went for extra runs after team sessions.

“She was one of the fittest players on the team anyway,” Riglar told the coroner, underlining how unnecessary those changes seemed from the outside.

The picture that emerged was of a player already in peak condition, suddenly pushing herself harder, driven by a critical remark that lodged in her mind.

Growing Isolation and a Search for Escape

As the new season began, Riglar said, Cusack became “paranoid”.

“She didn't really have anyone she could speak to without it getting back to Jonathan,” she told the court.

The inquest heard that Cusack had obtained a sick note from her doctor, giving her time off from both her part-time playing duties and her full-time marketing role at Sheffield United.

Away from the pitch, she was looking for a way out. Riglar said Cusack had spoken of moving to Dubai to become a flight attendant and had been searching for jobs online. Football, for so long her anchor, had started to feel like something she needed to escape.

Those closest to her are now left piecing together those final months, while the inquest continues to examine how a popular, driven midfielder reached such a desperate point.