An inquest into the death of Sheffield United footballer Maddy Cusack has heard that the club was aware she had difficulties with coach Jonathan Morgan before appointing him to manage the women's team. Cusack, 27, was found unconscious at her family home in Horsley, Derbyshire, on 20 September 2023 and pronounced dead the same day. The evidence matters because it raises questions over what the club knew about the relationship between the player and coach before his hiring, and over the duty of care owed to her.

Carl Shieber, the club's head of football administration, told Chesterfield Coroner's Court he had received an email from former head of women's football Zoe Johnson describing Morgan as having a "good CV" but not "the greatest reputation", which she later linked to a "personal comment" made on the touchline. The inquest heard Morgan, who coached Cusack from February 2023, had acknowledged past difficulties with her at Leicester City that he said were resolved, and Shieber described him as "transparent" and fond of the player. Cusack's mother Deborah had called Morgan her daughter's "nemesis", while earlier evidence recorded that Morgan told the FA Cusack was "generally a liar" and that he had offered her a full-time contract. Her family sent a written complaint to the club in the week after her death, and the inquest continues.