The family of Maddy Cusack are concerned about what they see as a lack of transparency over the disclosure of documents linked to her case, a coroner’s court has heard.
The inquest into the death of the 27-year-old Sheffield United player has been postponed, with proceedings now unlikely to begin before mid-July.
A fourth pre-inquest review is provisionally set for June 3 at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court, though a new date for the full three-day inquest has not yet been confirmed.
Lawyers for the Cusack family, including her parents David and Deborah Cusack, who attended the latest hearing, have called for ‘increased transparency’ of documents being related to them ahead of the inquest.
The family’s legal representative Maria Mulla told the coroner the family had received a copy of a Football Association investigation report into the circumstances surrounding Maddy’s death, but added: ‘They are concerned about a lack of transparency, particularly in relation to documents that are being provided to them.
‘I’m being told the FA report in particular has missing pages and has a large number of redactions.
The family of Maddy Cusack have raised concerns about what they see as a lack of transparency over the disclosure of documents linked to her case
The Sheffield United player passed away in 2023 at the age of 27, with an inquest set to be held
The inquest into the death has been postponed, with proceedings now unlikely to begin before mid-July
‘I don’t think it’s an unreasonable request for the family or their legal team to inspect the redacted material. The family wants some transparency.’
Coroner Sophie Cartwright denied the request, saying that the Worcestershire principles were being followed in this case. Under those principles, all parties including the FA have submitted unredacted material to the coroner and made submissions as to what they believe should be redacted.
Cusack, who died at her home in Horsley, Derbyshire on September 20, 2023, aged 27, was Sheffield United’s longest-serving women’s player and the first to reach 100 appearances for the club.
In addition to her role as vice-captain of the women’s Championship team, she also worked as a marketing executive for the Blades.
Shortly after her death, Cusack’s family submitted a formal complaint to the club, outlining concerns about her treatment and mental wellbeing, which they believe were linked to her relationship with former Sheffield United manager Jonathan Morgan. Morgan, who was present at the hearing, has denied any wrongdoing.
David Cusack told the court in January that the timeline for assessing Maddy’s mental health decline should begin in February 2023 – the month Morgan was appointed as manager.
The family have also emphasised that Maddy had no history of mental illness and described her as a ‘happy-go-lucky, carefree girl with everything to live for,’ adding that by Christmas 2022, she was ‘at her happiest’. According to them, a notable change began from February onward.
Sheffield United commissioned an internal investigation into the matter, which concluded in December 2023, finding no evidence of misconduct.
Cusack, who died at her home in Derbyshire, was Sheffield United’s longest-serving women’s player and the first to reach 100 appearances for the club
The Football Association launched a separate investigation, the findings of which were submitted to coroner Sophie Cartwright in January.
In February 2024, Sheffield United dismissed Morgan following the emergence of information regarding a relationship he had with a player during his previous tenure at Leicester City between 2014 and2021.
The club stated the dismissal was unrelated to the FA’s investigation, though it was welcomed by the Cusack family.
