FORMER ATHLETICS COACH CHARGED WITH NEGLECT

Matthew Browning Heath, a 44-year-old former college athletics coach, has been charged with unlawful neglect of a child by the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation was initiated upon notification from the Department of Social Services (DSS).

The charges stem from incidents that occurred between Nov. 28, 2023, and Jan. 1, 2024. Allegedly, Heath pushed a child down the stairs, repeatedly deprived them of food, subjected them to cold showers during cold weather, physically picked them up and threw them to the floor, and denied them the use of a pillow or blankets in bed.

Heath’s coaching career includes a brief stint as a special assistant to the head coach at Clemson University under Monte Lee. Prior to that, he served as a pitching coach under Lee at the College of Charleston from 2011 to 2015. He also held the position of associate head coach and pitching coach at the University of Tennessee at Martin from 2019 to 2021. He was booked into jail and released on bond.