The inquest into the death of former Sheffield United midfielder Maddy Cusack was adjourned on Thursday until December 7 to allow the club to locate missing electronic medical files.
Assistant coroner Sophie Cartwright KC apologized to the family of Cusack, who was found dead at her Derbyshire home on September 20, 2023, after learning the athlete's club medical records had been lost.
Cartwright ordered the club to search its Microsoft Teams folders, Google Drive records, and health system audits from the months leading up to the 27-year-old player's death.
"I know how long you have waited for this inquest," Cartwright said.
The coroner expressed regret over the sudden timeline extension while explaining that several witnesses would be recalled for future questioning.
"I genuinely am sorry to the family and the properly interested persons," Cartwright said.
The hearing was initially scheduled to conclude within a two-week window before the missing documentation triggered the delay.
"The hope we would finish today or tomorrow will not take place for reasons you know," Cartwright said.
Testimony and Allegations
During the proceedings, the court reviewed statements from Cusack's mother, Deborah Cusack, who accused women's team manager Jonathan Morgan of being her daughter's "nemesis" who tried to "cut her down to size" and remain "in control."
Former teammate Grace Riglar testified that Cusack felt "anxious" about Morgan's appointment due to their prior working relationship at Leicester City.
Morgan defended his management style, stating he was "really happy" to have her on the squad and had even offered her a full-time contract extension.
"I wanted her in my senior leadership team, I wanted her opinions," Morgan said.
Morgan emphasized that naming her vice-captain served as a "big sign of respect" for her role within the squad.
"You would not make someone vice-captain if you felt you did not have a good relationship with them," Morgan said.
However, the court heard that Morgan previously told the Football Association that Cusack was "generally a liar" who "omitted a lot of information" when discussing his coaching conduct with her family.
Morgan recalled feeling "anxious on a number of fronts" upon taking the managerial role because the club faced an intense relegation battle.
He noted that if his hiring had been a "big issue," the player could have expressed her concerns directly to the administration.
He stated they had spoken a "number of times" at matches since 2019, including a phone conversation in May 2023 regarding her career advancement.
"On face value, I couldn't take anything other than she was happy and positive," Morgan said.
The manager later raised concerns that Cusack was "not well" in August 2023, prompting him to ask club doctor Subhasis Basu to check on her, though he denied suspecting she was at risk of "self-harm or suicide."
Morgan confirmed he took "comfort" in knowing the medical staff, whom he considered "very good" and "experienced," had established a plan with her.
Following a missed practice session on September 6, 2023, Cusack later informed him she was taking time away from football following a GP visit, which she thought might "potentially" allow her to return for a match later that month.
"I wouldn't use the word reassured, but the information she gave me was a positive step forward, in my opinion," Morgan said.
Cartwright questioned why Morgan did not consult human resources despite this being his "first experience" managing an athlete experiencing severe mental health struggles.
"I escalated to who I thought was the right person at the time," Morgan said.
The manager added that there was "no documentation" made of that specific phone call, but maintained he would have notified the doctor if he perceived an "imminent risk" of harm.
Carl Shieber, head of football administration, testified that Morgan had been entirely "transparent" about his past friction with Cusack during his initial interview in February 2023.
Shieber recalled that former general manager Zoe Johnson noted in an email that Morgan "doesn't have the greatest reputation in the game but he has a good CV," later clarifying informally that he could be "a bit of a dick."
"In his interview, Maddy was mentioned along with a couple of other players.
He spoke fondly about Maddy and light-heartedly about [how] there had been some moments or issues," Shieber said.
Shieber explained that Morgan assured executives he "was capable of working in a professional manner with her" after resolving their past differences.
"I felt Mr Morgan was being very transparent in his relationship with her," Shieber said.
Shieber dismissed the idea that executive staff should have consulted players before hiring the new coach.
"In any industry, you would not be approaching the junior staff employees regarding the appointment of a manager," Shieber said.
The court heard allegations that Morgan made disparaging remarks, calling Cusack "bottom-heavy" and commenting "here come the girlfriends" when she walked with Riglar, though he denied calling her a "psycho" during an earlier match.
Shieber added that the prior negative feedback about Morgan's sideline behavior was isolated to a "single incident."
Family representative Maria Mulla directly questioned Shieber regarding the club's awareness of past tensions.
"It's correct, isn't it, that in your statement you said Mr Morgan told you there have been some difficulties between him and Maddy at Leicester?"
Mulla asked.
Shieber maintained that friction between personnel regarding team selection is common in professional sports environments.
"It's not uncommon for players and managers to have a difference of opinion regarding selection," Shieber said.
He added that the two had seemingly established a strong rapport during their subsequent time together at the club.
"Mr Morgan said their paths had crossed and were on a good working relationship. They even laughed and joked about the time they had at Leicester," Shieber said.
Former club chaplain Dr. Delroy Hall testified that Cusack reached out to him multiple times in August 2023 as a "last resort" to discuss heavy work pressures.
"Please don't tell anyone I'm talking to you," Cusack told Hall.
Hall observed that managing a dual contract split between her playing career and the marketing department was "not sustainable" for her well-being.
"I felt she was doing a lot," Hall said.
Sheffield United Chief Executive Stephen Bettis defended the club's "rushed" transition to a full-time professional setup, explaining that the timing depended heavily on the men's team securing Premier League promotion.
"Maddy was a wonderful person," Bettis said.
Bettis explained that the administration intended to support her professional growth even after her athletic career concluded.
"There was always going to be an opening for her in marketing [at the club] for her to continue on further in her career after football," Bettis said.
Addressing the financial challenges of the transition, Bettis argued that escalating operational costs made the current business model highly difficult to maintain without substantial internal investment.
"At that point [the 2022-23 season] we were probably losing £750,000 a year on women's football. Going full-time then would have doubled that," Bettis said.
Bettis emphasized that the organization has improved "leaps and bounds" but stated that the financial ecosystem of women's sports remains "currently not sustainable."
"This season [2026-27] we will lose over £2m. The reality of women's football is it's currently not sustainable in the format it is.
There is a big desire from the WSL to keep pushing the product, which I completely understand and respect, but the revenue is not there," Bettis said.
The executive concluded that long-term commercial self-sufficiency remains several years away despite strong internal backing.
"The onus is on the football clubs to invest. But we were pushing internally to support women's football.
We believe in it. [With greater] broadcast revenues, it becomes a sustainable vehicle," Bettis said.
