Maddy Cusack’s father tells inquest she was dismayed at Sheffield United manager’s return

The most significant cause of the deterioration of the late Sheffield United footballer Maddy Cusack’s mental health was the behaviour of Jonathan Morgan, the team’s manager at the time, her father, David Cusack, has told an inquest. During a tense exchange with David Cusack, Morgan, who is representing himself at the inquest, accused the player’s father of relying on hearsay to form his opinion of him. The former England Under-19s international was found dead at her family home in Derbyshire on 20 September 2023, at the age of 27. David Cusack told Chesterfield coroner’s court his daughter had told him she was “dismayed by the possibility of him coming back into her life” when she learned that Morgan was set to be appointed by Sheffield United in February 2023. She had played under Morgan at Leicester for a brief spell in 2018. David Cusack told the court Morgan was the “principal reason” why she had decided to leave Leicester City during the 2018-19 season, when she moved to Sheffield United during the winter transfer window, saying: “She’d never come across a character like him before. The way he dealt with people, his man-management, when you’re in, you’re in, when you’re out, you’re out.” He claimed Morgan’s managerial style was “my way or the highway”. …