Sheffield United player Maddy Cusack was tragically found dead at her home in September 2023, but an inquest into her passing has been delayed several times
An inquest into the death of former Sheffield United player Maddy Cusack has been rescheduled to begin on June 29, with the coroner apologising to her family for the delays that have affected the case.
Cusack died aged 27 and was found at her home address in Lady Lea Road, Horsley, Derbyshire on September 20, 2023. The police said there were no suspicious circumstances. An inquest had been due to start on Monday but was postponed just before Christmas because of delays in disclosure of information to Cusack’s family.
Coroner Sophie Cartwright said she intended to set aside two weeks from June 29 to ensure the inquest could conclude, acknowledging the Cusack family had already “waited a long time” for the inquest to take place. Less than a week after Cusack’s death, her family sent a written complaint to Sheffield United alleging she had been facing issues arising from her relationship with the team’s head coach at the time, Jonathan Morgan.
The club subsequently investigated and in December 2023 announced it had found no evidence of wrongdoing. The Football Association began its own investigation in January 2024, with the governing body saying at the time that its purpose was “to understand whether or not any further action is required under our jurisdiction within football”.
The FA report was shared with the coroner last January, but it will not be published until the inquest has concluded. Morgan was sacked by Sheffield United in February 2024 after information came to light about a relationship he had with a player while he was in charge at Leicester City, but his dismissal was not related to the FA investigation.
The dates set for the inquest were contingent on Morgan’s availability after he mentioned to the coroner during Monday’s hearing that it may clash with a pre-booked family holiday. Dean Armstrong KC, acting on behalf of the Cusack family, said delays in sending documents to the Cusacks were “unacceptable” and had had “a clear impact” on the family’s health.
He said there had been a “cavalier attitude” to disclosure. The coroner apologised to the Cusack family for the “additional upset” caused to them by the delays and agreed with a submission from Mr Armstrong that no material should be supplied beyond a cut-off point six weeks prior to the inquest start date.
Joseph O’Brien KC, acting for the club, said they “rejected entirely” any suggestion of non-compliance with direction orders in the case and that it was “wholly without merit” to suggest the club had contributed in any way to the inquest being delayed. The FA said it would assist the court by providing transcripts of two Microsoft Teams calls between Cusack and Morgan and collating a comprehensive bundle of documents for all parties to refer to at the inquest.
