Sheffield United's former manager Jonathan Morgan has defended his relationship with Maddy Cusack, a deceased player, following a statement he made to the Football Association describing her as 'generally a liar'. Cusack, a former Sheffield United midfielder, was found dead at her home in Derbyshire on September 20, 2023, at the age of 27.

Shortly after Cusack's death, her family lodged a complaint with Sheffield United regarding her relationship with Morgan. Morgan had previously worked with Cusack at Leicester City before they reunited at Sheffield United in February 2023. The inquest into Cusack's death is currently in its second week.

During the inquest at Chesterfield Coroner's Court, coroner Sophie Cartwright read a statement submitted by Morgan to the FA in which he stated, "It's hard to say something negative about someone who's just passed away, but what you have to understand was that she was generally a liar." Addressing these remarks, Morgan stated on Monday that the comment was made in the "aftermath" and related to Cusack having "omitted a lot of information about the scenario," rather than specific criticisms of her within the team environment. He added that she had omitted information from her family about matters he had supported her with, including financial assistance for mortgage payments.

Morgan also discussed his time with Cusack at Leicester City, where he released her from her contract in January 2019. The inquest had previously heard that Cusack joined Leicester in the summer of 2018 after Morgan told her that a King Power takeover was imminent, which he suggested would lead to significant improvements in club facilities. Her mother, Deborah Cusack, claimed that Maddy felt she had joined the club based on "a lot of lies," as the takeover did not materialize until 2020.

"We met in a transition period of Maddy's career where she went down a league (from first-tier side Birmingham) and we went up a league - there was a massive gap in terms of what her expectations were and where we were," Morgan said. He described Cusack as "difficult for me to manage," attributing this to "the pressures and anxieties of her wanting to get back to the WSL as quickly as possible."

Morgan acknowledged that there would "always be a level of anxiety" from a player he had previously released. He characterized his first meeting with Cusack at Sheffield United, where she appeared "anxious," as "nothing out of the ordinary" from his perspective. He recalled their initial interactions involved joking and laughing, stating, "I wouldn't say I saw anything different from the day I started, from my point of view."

Last week, Deborah Cusack stated that Maddy would have been "absolutely humiliated beyond belief" when Morgan referred to Maddy's partner, Grace Riglar, as 'Mrs Cusack' in front of teammates. Maddy Cusack was described by friends and family as a private person who preferred to keep her professional and personal lives separate.

Morgan denied calling Riglar 'Mrs Cusack,' calling it "banter, a tongue-in-cheek moment." He suggested that players then made jokes about his weight, which had been fluctuating. He stated that he did not have an understanding of Maddy's "thought processes" at the time but acknowledged, "Based on what has been said since, I can see why that may have been significant to Maddy."

Regarding Morgan's comment that Cusack was "just a bit bottom heavy," he explained this was related to the team's desired style of football, which required a more aggressive pressing game. He stated, "In relation to her muscular lower half, I said to her, 'Look Maddy, you're just a bit bottom heavy.'" Riglar testified last week that this comment led Cusack to alter her eating habits and increase her exercise, making "slight tweaks in her habits which probably weren't the healthiest at the time for her."

Morgan stated that Cusack was not undertaking extra training sessions alone, and that such sessions were common practice for players who did not meet performance targets during regular training. He denied receiving any specific training on how to discuss physical performance matters with female players.

When asked by the coroner if there was a "pattern" in his language towards Cusack, including the 'Mrs Cusack' comment, the 'bottom heavy' remark, and calling her 'lovesick' to a colleague, Morgan replied, "I would argue that's not a definition of a pattern. They're just three separate incidents."

Morgan, who was dismissed by Sheffield United in February 2024, also denied calling Cusack a "psycho," citing disputes over the date of the alleged comment and its hearsay nature. He told the inquest, "Everyone's saying they heard it second-hand or from Maddy. No-one's suggesting they actually heard it."

When asked about a call where Cusack mentioned taking time away from football and being prescribed medication, Morgan said he told her, "take all the time you need, there's always a place for you in my team this season."

The inquest is ongoing.