Maddy Cusack’s eating habits changed after manager’s comment, girlfriend tells inquest

The Sheffield United programme for the home match with Newcastle United in September 2023, featured Maddy Cusack on the cover. Photograph: SportImage/Sheffield United FC/Getty Images View image in fullscreen The Sheffield United programme for the home match with Newcastle United in September 2023, featured Maddy Cusack on the cover. Photograph: SportImage/Sheffield United FC/Getty Images Maddy Cusack’s eating habits changed after manager’s comment, girlfriend tells inquest Grace Riglar fights back tears giving evidence Cusack called Sheffield United omission a ‘personal attack’ The girlfriend of the late Sheffield United player Maddy Cusack has told an inquest that Cusack’s former manager Jonathan Morgan called her a “psycho” and that her eating habits changed after he allegedly made a comment referencing her weight. Grace Riglar, who played for Sheffield United for one season alongside Cusack, fought back tears multiple times during an emotional and lengthy evidence session at Chesterfield coroner’s court on Tuesday. At one stage she had to take a break while being cross-examined by lawyers representing Sheffield United. Riglar, who described Cusack as a “very caring soul who always wanted the best for people”, said that after Morgan arrived at Sheffield United in February 2023, he summoned any players who were in relationships to a meeting. When Riglar and Cusack subsequently met with Morgan – a meeting Riglar told the inquest made Cusack “uncomfortable” – he issued rules for player-relationships, including that “if he was to be annoyed with any one of us, the other can’t hold a grudge against him”. Morgan, who is scheduled to give evidence to the hearing on Monday, is representing himself at the inquest and personally questioned Riglar. During that questioning they disagreed on whether or not Cusack had an injury that Morgan claimed would have ruled her out of playing in his first match in charge. Riglar said Cusack felt it was a “personal attack” from Morgan to not start her. View image in fullscreen Maddy Cusack in action for Sheffield United against Blackburn at Bamber Bridge in December 2021. Photograph: Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images Cusack was found dead at her family’s home in Derbyshire on 20 September 2023, at the age of 27. Riglar described noticing that Cusack was “fidgety, very erratic and scrolling on Indeed looking at jobs” during a trip they took together to Matlock earlier in the month, but Riglar said she was unsure whether she was aware at that time that Cusack had recently been prescribed medication for her anxiety. The 25-year-old centre-back, who plays for Norwich City and won their player-of-the-year award last season while helping them win promotion to the third tier, spent one season at Sheffield United in 2022-23. Riglar said she “wouldn’t have known where to go to if I had any problems” during her time in Sheffield, compared with her good experiences in regards to that at other clubs. The club’s legal team later pu