Maddy Cusack: Family Struggles for Answers as Inquest Delayed
The grief of losing a loved one is noway easy, but Olivia Cusack says fighting for answers makes it indeed harder.
Olivia has a letter M tattooed on her wrist. It’s for Maddy, her family, and the Sheffield United midfielder, who tragically passed away in September 2023.
“Her life was cut short,” Olivia tells BBC Newsbeat. “There are a lot of things we planned together that we didn’t get to experience.”
Maddy Cusack was just 27 when she was set up dead at her Derbyshire home. She had made history at Sheffield United, joining the club in 2019 and becoming the first player to reach 100 appearances for the women’s team.
Questions remain over the circumstances of her death. The probe, first anticipated in July, has now been delayed until January, a delay that frustrates her family.
“It’s the biggest thing that’s ever happened for me personally in my life and you have no control over how that is dealt with,” Olivia says.
In memory of her sister, Olivia has turned to small acts of tribute. Alongside her family, she has helped establish a foundation to support women and girls in football. But official delays make it hard to grieve properly.
Sheffield United commissioned an external report shortly after Maddy’s death, which cleared the club of wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, a alternate report by the Football Association, ordered in early 2024, will only be published after the probe concludes.
“It’s almost like the pause button was hit in October 2023,” Olivia reflects. “With the loss of Maddy you want to think of her at peace and that she’s okay.
But it’s hard to picture her at peace now when there’s so much chaos surrounding her death.”
Police said the death was not considered suspicious, and the family has stated Maddy had no long-term mental health issues, though she had been under financial pressure and juggled football alongside a full-time marketing role.
Concerns over Sheffield United’s conduct, including that of former women’s team manager Jonathan Morgan, remain unresolved.
At a pre-inquest hearing in June, Mr Morgan described some family witnesses as “one-sided” and requested to bring in opposing viewpoints.
Coroner Sophie Cartwright will decide before the main hearings.
“Whilst you’re still in fighting mode, looking for that justice, it’s difficult to take your foot off the gas for a minute and actually think about what’s happened and come to terms with it,” Olivia says.
In the meantime, those who knew Maddy are finding ways to honour her legacy. Former Sheffield United goalkeeper Nina Wilson, who played alongside her, has also marked her memory with a tattoo.
“Maddy was Miss Sheff United,” Nina recalls. “When I signed for Sheffield, she came and met me in the car park at Bramhall Lane. I’d never met her before but it felt like we were already friends.”
Nina’s tattoo is the number eight, the shirt Maddy wore on every match day. She is campaigning for the club to retire the number in Maddy’s honour.
“It would mean so much to her for that to always be her number,” Nina says.
The family supports the crusade, seeing it as a way to keep Maddy’s memory alive. Since her death, no bone differently has worn the number eight for Sheffield United Women, now contending in WSL 2.
The club said the fan advisory board had twice suggested retiring the shirt.
In a statement, they explained: “We, as a club, feel that keeping the number in existence gives a reminder of who has worn it previously and keeps Maddy’s memory alive.”
A homage for the alternate anniversary of her end is planned for 20 September, during the home match against Charlton Athletic. The club verified exchanges about lasting paeans will continue after the probe concludes.
Until then, Olivia keeps her sister close. “Anywhere I go, you’ll come with me. Anyone I meet, you’ll shake their hand,” she says.
