Cusack 'would still be here' if girlfriend did not move away, inquest told

The former captain of Sheffield United's women's team has told an inquest she believes Maddy Cusack's girlfriend moving away was the main reason for her decline in mental health.Chesterfield Coroner's Court heard that Cusack's family sent a written complaint about the head coach of the team, Jonathan Morgan, outlining issues allegedly stemming from her relationship with him.Cusack was found unresponsive at her home address in Horsley, Derbyshire, by her father on September 20, 2023, and died that day.On Wednesday, Sophie Barker, who was the captain of the women's team at the time, said she told the player's family that "Maddy would still be here" if her girlfriend Grace Riglar had not moved from United to a different football club.Barker said: "When Maddy found out Grace was going to go so far away, that affected Maddy. She was infatuated with Grace."She felt Grace was leaving her - I had to reassure her that Grace was just moving - it didn't mean they had split or anything like that."Barker added: "I remember saying to Maddy's family, after everything that happened, that if Grace was still local Maddy would still be here."Dean Armstrong KC, representing Cusack's family, suggested to Barker that Morgan's behaviour and an absence of support from the club in adjusting to her full-time football role alongside her marketing job were the principal reasons for Cusack's decline in mental health.Barker said: "No, I believe Grace was the main reason."Barker said Cusack had told her she felt "anxious" about Morgan joining United in February 2023, because of her experience of working with him at Leicester years earlier.The former United captain said: "She explained to me her previous experiences - that he was unprofessional, that he sold her dreams that, when she went there, weren't real and he chatted a lot of rubbish."The inquest heard that Cusack was "willing to give Morgan another chance" and "get her head down".Cusack then did not discuss any problems related to Morgan wi...