Late last night, word broke that UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka made the decision to sit out the rest of the season and redshirt despite UNLV's undefeated 3-0 start that garnered the top ranking in our Group of Five Coaches Poll.
The former Holy Cross standout quarterback, who joined the Rebels via the transfer portal issued the following statement via social media:
"I have decided to utilize my redshirt year and will not be playing any additional games this season. I committed to UNLV based on certain representations that were made to me, which were not upheld after I enrolled. Despite discussions, it became clear that these commitments would not be fulfilled in the future. I wish my teammates best of luck this season and hope for the continued success in the program."
That statement made it seem like UNLV was not holding up the NIL commitments made to him.
Later in the morning rumors began two swirl that the financial commitments were met, but Sluka went back and asked for more money after their hot start.
All financial commitments for UNLV QB Matthew Sluka were completely met.
— Carl Reed Jr. (@CoachReedLive) September 25, 2024
But after wins against KU and Houston, Sluka’s family hired an agent and they collectively feel that his market value has increased, per source. pic.twitter.com/CKpjDNxMxK
Within an hour of that storyline being out there, the Sluka family told ESPN that Matthew had agreed to an NIL deal with UNLV back in February, but never received payments despite requests.
The family also debunked the story on going back to ask for money money, adding "We have no idea what the hell happened," to Adam Rittenberg.
Sluka's NIL representative, Marcus Cromartie, has also chimed in to clear the air, stating to Pete Thamel that a verbal promise was made of at least $100,000 from a UNLV assistant for Sluka transferring to UNLV, and none of that money was paid.
Thamel goes on to add that once Sluka was enrolled, there was no effort by the UNLV collective to formalize a contract for that $100k amount, and after multiple efforts were made with the staff and school to address the issue, no progress was made.
The school came back with a contract of $3k per month over the next four months, about $88k short of what was promised initially, Thamel adds.
The only money Sluka has been paid, is a $3,000 relocation stipend for his move west, and Cromartie shares via Thamel that there was never a request for more money, Sluka has only asked for the initial amount he was promised, and when that didn't come he decided to re-evaluate his options.
Barry Odom will surely be asked about this today after practice, so stay tuned for more on this developing story on The Scoop.