Maddy Cusack: FA launches investigation into death of Sheffield United midfielder
- Published
Tributes were paid to Maddy Cusack on the opening weekend of the Women's Super League season
The Football Association has launched its own investigation into the circumstances leading up to the death of Sheffield United's Maddy Cusack.
Cusack, the first player to reach 100 appearances for the Blades, died last September at the age of 27.
Police did not treat the midfielder's death as suspicious.
In December, an external investigation into the events leading up to the death of Cusack found no evidence of wrongdoing at Sheffield United.
That investigation was carried out by an independent third party at the request of, and with co-operation from, Cusack's family.
Blades manager Jonathan Morgan stepped away from his role in October while the investigation was conducted. After the club said it found no evidence of wrongdoing, he returned to work earlier this month.
The Athletic reported in January, external that the Cusack family submitted a complaint detailing a wide range of grievances relating to her past seven months at the club - coinciding with the appointment of Morgan as the team's manager.
Cusack, who also worked as a marketing executive at Sheffield United, joined the Women's Championship club in 2019.
In a statement via the Maddy Cusack Foundation on social media in November, her family said Cusack's spirit had been "broken" in the months before her death, later telling the BBC the pressures faced by female footballers are "way too much".
An inquest into Cusack's death at her home in Horsley, Derbyshire was opened in October and adjourned, with the medical cause not yet established.
At the time, United said they were "devastated" by her passing, while then men's manager Paul Heckingbottom said Cusack was a "big part of everything" at the club.
Tributes were paid at football matches across the country following her death, including at Sheffield United women's and men's games, and England's fixture against Scotland.
Cusack previously played for Birmingham, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.
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