Overview
- Maddy Cusack was found unresponsive at her parents’ home on 20 September 2023, and the inquest has heard family and former teammates say Jonathan Morgan’s return to Sheffield United in February 2023 preceded a marked change in her mood and confidence.
- Cusack’s mother told the court that Morgan’s comments about her daughter’s weight and relationship ‘cut her down to size’ and said the club denied a request for counselling shortly before her death.
- Former teammates described players becoming withdrawn and isolated under Morgan’s management and said the death was ‘definitely preventable’, calling for mandatory club psychologists, dedicated player‑care staff, and changes to grievance procedures.
- Sheffield United’s ex‑club doctor, Dr Subhashis (Raj) Basu, told the court that medical records were lost during a summer 2023 electronic records transfer and admitted he was slow to report the problem, complicating investigators’ ability to reconstruct events.
- The Football Association’s investigation report has been given to the coroner but not published to the public, and Jonathan Morgan, who is representing himself, is due to give evidence next at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court.