Former Sheffield United midfielder Maddie Cusack’s coach called her a ‘psycho’ and engaged in psychological warfare with her before her death, an inquest has heard.
Chesterfield Coroner’s Court heard Jonathan Morgan made comments about Cusack’s weight and relationships when she was United women’s manager, which made her feel uncomfortable.
The 27-year-old was found unconscious by her father at her home in Horsley, Derbyshire, on September 20, 2023, and died the same day.
A fellow professional named Grays League, who played for United at the same time as Cusack and was in a relationship with her, said he was “anxious” about Morgan joining the club in February 2023 after his experience working with him at Leicester a few years ago.
She told the inquest on Tuesday: “I think Jonathan spoke to me about his previous experiences before coming to Sheffield.”
“I think Jonathan said she played against a team when he was the coach and she did something on the field and Jonathan called her a psycho on the sideline.”
“I don’t think she let anyone know that those kinds of comments affected her, but they did and it made her uncomfortable.”
She said Morgan joining United was a big source of stress for Cusack, which coincided with her being unhappy at United.
Riglar added that Cusack thought the coach had made a “personal attack” on her by not putting her in the starting lineup for the game.
She told the court: “She was used to starting every game and was an important member of the team. When Jonathan came she was in and out of the starting squad for a while.”
“She did quite a bit of sitting on the bench and found it frustrating, which affected her a lot.
“I think she felt like it was some kind of personal attack and that Jonathan was playing mind games with her by starting one week and dropping her the next week.
“She felt those little things were intentional.”
Riglar told the inquest that Morgan had also mentioned her relationship with Cusack.
When Morgan joined United, he told the players in their first league meeting that if they were in a relationship with anyone in the team, they should tell him.
Riglar said: “She felt uncomfortable when Jonathan called me ‘Mrs Cusack’, especially in front of other players.
“We wanted to keep the relationship very professional. The football side and the relationship side were very separate.”
Riglar told the court that Morgan had commented on Cusack’s weight and that he had changed his eating and exercise habits, including not eating carbohydrates, skipping breakfast and doing extra runs after training.
“After all, she was one of the fittest players on the team,” Riglar added.
The footballer told the coroner that Cusack was “paranoid” about the start of the new season.
She added: “There wasn’t really anyone I could talk to without reaching out to Jonathan.”
The inquest heard Cusack had been given sick leave by his doctor to take time off from his football and marketing job at United.
As a result of the investigation, it was revealed that she was also prescribed anti-anxiety medication.
Before he died, Cusack told his girlfriend he wanted to move to Dubai and become a flight attendant and was looking for a new job online.
Riglar told the coroner: “She didn’t want to play football again. I think she didn’t really know how to get out of that situation.”
The investigation continues.
