Maddy Cusack's mother has accused Sheffield United of lying to her family about the reputation of manager Jonathan Morgan, telling the inquest into her daughter's death that she believes Maddy "would be here today" if Morgan had not been appointed.

Deborah Cusack gave evidence on Thursday at the inquest into the death of her daughter, the former Sheffield United vice-captain and longest-serving player, who was found dead at her home on September 20, 2023, at the age of 27. The inquest began on Monday.

Maddy's father, David Cusack, previously claimed that Morgan's appointment in February 2023 was the principal cause of the deterioration of her mental health. Maddy's girlfriend, Grace Riglar, stated that she believed the club knew about Morgan's reputation prior to his hiring.

Deborah Cusack alleged that Sheffield United CEO Stephen Bettis and head of HR Vicki Anderson lied to her a week after Maddy's death when they claimed ignorance of Morgan's reputation. "They both lied to me and that is unforgivable because they both knew about his reputation," Deborah told the inquest. "Mr Bettis referred to it in the FA report. They both knew about the grievance that had been lodged (against him previously) and they both knew about the difficulties."

She added that she felt the club hierarchy made her doubt her own daughter in the immediate aftermath of her death.

Two weeks before Maddy's death, Deborah Cusack spoke to club doctor Subhashis Basu, requesting counselling for her daughter. "I asked (Dr Basu) if we could have some counselling and he said 'No, at the minute, that's something to be discussed further down the line,'" Deborah recounted. She noted that they had already sought private counselling.

In a direct exchange with Morgan, who is representing himself at the inquest, Deborah Cusack stated, "If you hadn't been employed, which you should never have been, my daughter would be here today."

Morgan was sacked by Sheffield United in February 2024 after details emerged of a relationship with a teenage player while he was manager at Leicester City. Riglar had previously revealed that Morgan had set three "rules" for her and Maddy's relationship, including "not holding a grudge" if one of them was "annoyed" by him.

Deborah Cusack described how players sidelined by Morgan referred to their situation as being "in prison" and called him a "prison warden." "All of those players then left because they could. They didn't have the ties that Madeleine did," she said. "She was literally on her own. I thought she felt lonely from that and isolated. By this time, she had no confidence in anything."

She also refuted claims that Sheffield United had suggested Maddy struggled with previous coaches, stating that her daughter had actually helped to defuse a situation involving former manager Carla Ward. Deborah accused the club of trying to "discredit" Maddy with such suggestions, calling it "unforgivable."

Additionally, she dismissed reports that Maddy would still be alive if Grace Riglar had not moved away from Sheffield United. "That was the opinion of someone who had a fractured relationship with Maddy months before she moved away. That wasn't fair on Grace, and that's not right," Deborah said.

The Football Association began its own investigation in January 2024, sharing its report with the coroner a year later. The FA report is not expected to be published until the inquest concludes.

Jonathan Morgan is scheduled to give evidence on Monday. The inquest is ongoing.