Former UNLV quarterback Matt Sluka shocked college football on Wednesday when it was announced that he would leave the team because “information” about the NIL money he would earn was not as promised. Now there is some clarity on what Sluka was apparently supposed to earn when he played for the Runnin’ Rebels.
Sluka was promised “a minimum” of $100,000, said Sluka’s NIL representative, Equity Sports’ Marcus Cromartieconfirmed to On3 Pete NakosTo date, according to Cromartie, Sluka has only received $3,000 for his move to Las Vegas.
Sluka previously played at Holy Cross in Massachusetts and is from New York.
“When Matt was being recruited, we talked about an amount in the $100,000-$150,000 range,” Cromartie told On3. “That was the amount Matt was going to get to get there. We talked about how it would be great if we could get to $150,000, but $100,000 was the limit.”
CEO of Equity Sports Chris Cabottwho also spoke to On3, explained the challenges the higher education system faces in turning a verbal promise into a signed contract.
“Ultimately, we know that a school cannot give a player a contract until he is enrolled,” Cabott said. “That’s the whole reason why State of Florida got slapped in the face. We understand that sometimes there has to be some flexibility. These schools can’t give you a term sheet, they can’t give you a contract. You just have to take people at their word.”
Sluka’s NIL management’s version of events also matches what his father told ESPN.
Sluka’s father has clarified the decision and ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg his son never received the zero payments promised by UNLV officials during his recruitment. He also says neither Sluka nor the people around him asked for “a single dollar more” than what was originally agreed upon.
“Robert SlukaFather of UNLV QB Matthew Sluka, told ESPN that his son’s agents agreed to a NIL deal with the school back in February, never received any payments despite requests and never asked for adjustments to the original deal,” Rittenberg said of X.
“We have no idea what the hell happened,” Bob Sluka told Rittenberg. “They keep putting it off: ‘We don’t know. You have to wait.’ Then they said, ‘We’ll give him gaming checks.’ So we said, ‘OK, great.’ We didn’t ask for a single dollar (more).”
