The coach of former Sheffield United footballer Maddy Cusack has told an inquest he offered her a full-time contract at the club and was “really happy” to have her on his team.
Cusack, 27, was found unconscious by her father David at their family home in Horsley, Derbyshire, on 20 September 2023 and was pronounced dead the same day.
Jonathan Morgan, who coached Cusack from February 2023 while she was at Sheffield United, continued his evidence to an inquest into Cusack’s death at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court on Tuesday.
The inquest heard Morgan had made Cusack his vice-captain at the club, which he said was a “big sign of respect”.
He added: “I wanted her in my senior leadership team, I wanted her opinions.
“You would not make someone vice-captain if you felt you did not have a good relationship with them.”
In the week after Cusack’s death, her inquest previously heard her family sent a written complaint to Sheffield United, outlining issues allegedly stemming from her relationship with Morgan.
The inquest has also heard from Grace Riglar, who played for the team and was in a relationship with Cusack, who said Cusack was “anxious” about Morgan joining the club after her experience of working with him at Leicester City.
Cusack’s mother Deborah described Morgan as her daughter’s “nemesis”, adding he had made comments about her weight and relationship to “cut her down to size” and be “in control”.
Beginning his evidence on Monday, the court heard Morgan had told the Football Association (FA) that Cusack was “generally a liar”, saying she had “omitted a lot of information” when she spoke to her family about his behaviour.
