Jonathan Morgan labelled Maddy Cusack ‘generally a liar’ in FA investigation, inquest hears

Jonathan Morgan, head coach of Sheffield United Women, pictured in 2023. Photograph: George Wood/The FA/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenJonathan Morgan, head coach of Sheffield United Women, pictured in 2023. Photograph: George Wood/The FA/Getty ImagesWomen's footballJonathan Morgan labelled Maddy Cusack ‘generally a liar’ in FA investigation, inquest hearsCusack’s former manager gave evidence on MondayMorgan says player ‘omitted information’ to her family’Tom GarryMon 6 Jul 2026 22.05 BSTLast modified on Mon 6 Jul 2026 22.06 BSTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleMaddy Cusack’s former manager Jonathan Morgan labelled her as “generally a liar” during a Football Association investigation into her death, an inquest has heard. Cusack died in Derbyshire on 20 September 2023 at the age of 27 and Chesterfield coroner’s court heard evidence last week from her parents, who feel Morgan was integral to her mental health deteriorating. Giving evidence to the court on Monday, Morgan denied ever shouting at Cusack, or calling her a “psycho” and said he had been concerned about her wellbeing. Morgan, who took charge at Sheffield United in February 2023 and had previously coached the player at Leicester City in 2018, admitted to calling Cusack “bottom-heavy” during a meeting with Cusack and the team’s physio, but he told the court he been referring to the muscles in Cusack’s legs while discussing a new strength-and-conditioning programme for her, not her weight. Separate to the ongoing inquest – which is scheduled to last until Friday – the FA has also conducted it’s own investigation in the aftermath of Cusack’s death, and while its findings have not been published, hundreds of pages of the FA’s evidence have been made available to the coroner. As part of that FA investigation, Morgan was interviewed by the FA on 9 May 2024 and was asked on Monday about a specific part of the transcript where he has said it was “hard to be negative about someone who has died” but that “she...