The girlfriend of Maddy Cusack has told an inquest that the Sheffield United player’s eating habits changed after her former manager allegedly made a comment about her weight. Grace Riglar, who gave evidence at Chesterfield coroner’s court on Tuesday, also alleged that Jonathan Morgan had previously called Cusack a “psycho”.
Cusack was found dead at her family home in Derbyshire on 20 September 2023 at the age of 27. The inquest is examining the circumstances surrounding the death of the midfielder, who was working across two roles at the club.
Allegations Against Former Manager
Riglar, a fellow footballer who spent the 2022-23 season at Sheffield United alongside Cusack, told the court that Morgan summoned players who were in relationships to a meeting shortly after he arrived in February 2023. She said the meeting made Cusack “uncomfortable” and that Morgan issued rules including that partners could not hold grudges if he was annoyed with one of them.
The court heard that Cusack had felt her omission from the starting line-up during Morgan’s first match in charge was a “personal attack”. Riglar stated that Morgan’s arrival at the club was a “big part” of what contributed to Cusack’s state of mind, adding: “You can’t blame one person but I do think that was a big reason.”
Riglar also described an incident from earlier in Cusack’s career when Morgan allegedly called her a “psycho” from the sideline during a match at a previous club. She said Cusack was a “tough character” who would not let people know such comments affected her, but that they did make her uncomfortable.
During cross-examination, Morgan, who is representing himself at the inquest, questioned whether Riglar could be certain of these comments as she had not heard them first-hand. He asked: “So, just to confirm, you don’t [personally] recall me calling Maddy ‘fat’?”, to which Riglar replied: “No.”
Concerns About Club Environment
Riglar contrasted the atmosphere under Morgan with the previous regime, stating there had been a “really good environment” under former manager Neil Redfearn, who resigned in November 2022. She told the court she “wouldn’t have known where to go to if I had any problems” during her time in Sheffield compared with her experiences at other clubs.
The court heard that Cusack was earning £38,000 per annum across her dual roles in the football and marketing departments, working approximately 50 hours per week. Her line manager, Eoin Doyle, described her as a “good, trustworthy employee” but recalled a conversation in August 2023 where she appeared to have “sunken into herself”. Doyle also said Morgan had “expressed concern” about Cusack’s demeanour in the weeks before her death.
Riglar, who now plays for Norwich City, described noticing Cusack was “fidgety, very erratic and scrolling on Indeed looking at jobs” during a trip to Matlock earlier in September 2023. She said she was unsure whether she knew at that time that Cusack had recently been prescribed medication for anxiety.
Next Steps
Jonathan Morgan is scheduled to give evidence to the hearing on Monday. The inquest continues on Wednesday.