Sheffield United player Maddy Cusack was tragically found dead in her home in September 2023, but the inquest into her death has been postponed multiple times.
The inquest into the death of former Sheffield United player Maddy Cusack has been rescheduled to begin on June 29, with the coroner apologizing to the family for the delay that has affected the case.
Ms Cusack, 27, died and was found at her home address in Lady Lee Road, Horsley, Derbyshire, on September 20, 2023. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances. The inquest was due to begin on Monday, but was postponed just before Christmas due to delays in releasing information to Mr Cusack’s family.
Coroner Sophie Cartwright acknowledged that the Cusack family had already “waited a long time” for the inquest to take place, and said she would allow two weeks from June 29 to ensure the inquest was completed. Less than a week after Cusack’s death, his family sent a written complaint to Sheffield United alleging that the club was facing problems stemming from his relationship with Jonathan Morgan, the team’s head coach at the time.
The club subsequently conducted an investigation and announced in December 2023 that no evidence of wrongdoing had been found. The Football Association launched its own investigation in January 2024, with the governing body saying at the time that its aim was to “understand whether further action is required under football’s jurisdiction”.
The FA report was shared with the coroner in January last year but will not be made public until the inquest is completed. Morgan was sacked by Sheffield United in February 2024 after reports emerged that he had had affairs with players while he was manager of Leicester City, but his sacking was unrelated to the FA investigation.
The date of the inquest was at Mr Morgan’s convenience, as he told the coroner at Monday’s hearing that it might conflict with a pre-booked family holiday. Speaking on behalf of the Cusack family, Dean Armstrong KC said the delay in sending documents to the Cusack family was “unacceptable” and had a “clear impact” on the family’s health.
He said there had been a “blatant attitude” towards disclosing information. The coroner apologized to the Cusack family for the “further upset” caused by the delay and agreed with Mr Armstrong’s submission that no material should be provided beyond the cut-off point six weeks before the inquest’s start date.
Joseph O’Brien KC, acting for the club, “absolutely rejects” any suggestion that it had failed to comply with directives in the matter, and said it was “totally without merit” to suggest the club had in any way contributed to the delay in the inquest. The FA said it would assist the court by providing recordings of two Microsoft Teams calls between Cusack and Morgan and collating a comprehensive bundle of documents that all parties could refer to at the inquest.
