UNLV quarterback sits out season after agent says promised $100,000 for transfer not paid

UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka has decided to sit out the rest of the season for his undefeated team because of a promised but never paid $100,000 payment after he agreed to join the Rebels last winter, Sluka’s agent told the Associated Press on Wednesday.

Sluka’s announcement late Tuesday sent shockwaves throughout college football. Although the old rules of amateur football no longer apply, colleges and the NCAA are still wrestling with how to compensate players for the use of their name, image or likeness.

Sluka’s agent, Marcus Cromartie of Equity Sports, said Sluka was promised $100,000 by a UNLV assistant coach who recruited the quarterback last winter when he agreed to transfer from Holy Cross to the Rebels in January.

Equity Sports represents numerous NFL and college players, including Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes. Sluka’s father, Bob Sluka, told AP via text message that his son signed with Equity Sports when Matthew Sluka declared his intention to transfer schools in December and entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Cromartie said that because Sluka was still finishing up his degree at Holy Cross, he was unable to sign a NIL contract — the kind typically signed with donor-backed third parties called collectives that manage a school’s athletes — until he enrolled at UNLV later in the year.

Sluka only joined the team in pre-season training in August. A written contract was never signed, Cromartie said.

“There were no NIL payments in July. There was no $100,000, I guess you could say zero dollars. He got a $3,000 relocation fee and that was it,” said Cromartie, who declined to name the assistant coach and said UNLV head coach Barry Odom was not involved in the initial talks.

Cromartie said that after several weeks, he contacted first representatives of the UNLV collective and then Odom to discuss ways to pay Sluka the $100,000 he said the player had been promised.

Cromartie said he proposed payments of $10,000 a month over the next five months and even $5,000 a month and was turned down. Cromartie said Sluka was offered $3,000 a month by Odom.

“I think Matt felt lied to at that point. At that point he just wanted to stand up for himself,” Cromartie said.

UNLV issued a statement accusing Sluka’s representatives of “making financial demands on the university and its NIL collective in order to continue playing.”

“The UNLV athletics department interpreted these demands as a violation of the NCAA’s pay-for-play rules as well as Nevada state law,” the school said. “UNLV does not engage in such activities nor does it respond to implied threats. UNLV has honored all previously agreed-upon scholarships for Matthew Sluka.”

UNLV hosts Fresno State (3-1) in a key Mountain West game on Saturday. Both schools hope a strong season could put them in consideration for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. The Rebels have already beaten two power conference schools.

The NCAA’s redshirt rules allow players to retain a year of eligibility if they play four or fewer games in a season. Sluka, who played four seasons (2020-23) at Holy Cross, has another year of eligibility that he could use next season at another school. NCAA rules do not allow players to play for two schools in the same season.

Sluka did not detail the reasons for his decision, but college athletes today regularly receive hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars from corporations or donor-funded collectives.

“I chose UNLV based on certain promises that were made to me, but were not kept after I enrolled,” Sluka wrote on X. “Despite discussions, it became clear that those promises would not be fulfilled in the future. I wish my teammates the best of luck this season and hope for the continued success of the program.”

The NCAA lifted its ban on paying athletes compensation for things like endorsements and sponsorship deals in 2021, but issued few detailed rules governing how athletes are paid, other than that compensation cannot come directly from the school.

A patchwork of state laws has led to varying standards across the country, and college sports leaders, including NCAA President Charlie Baker, are lobbying Congress for federal legislation to fix an unruly and opaque system.

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Jaden Rashada, who committed to play for Florida out of high school, is suing Gators coach Billy Napier and one of the school’s key boosters after a $14 million NIL deal fell through. Rashad never played for Florida. He was released from his scholarship contract in 2023, transferred to Arizona State, where he played last year, and then transferred to Georgia this offseason.

“You have to come up with a system, like you do for anything else – making sure the contracts are signed or the language is used correctly,” Mahomes, who is involved in the NIL collective at his alma mater, Texas Tech, said Wednesday when asked about Sluka’s situation.

UNLV finished 9-5 last season and played for the Mountain West Conference championship, but the quarterback who led the team to the program’s best season in nearly 40 years, Jayden Maiava, transferred to Southern California in the Big Ten.

Sluka was one of the best quarterbacks in Division I’s second tier, the Football Championship Subdivision. Holy Cross reached the FCS playoffs in 2021 and 2022 with Sluka as the starter.

Following a coaching change at Holy Cross – head coach Bob Chesney left to take over at James Madison – Sluka also moved on after setting a number of school records and setting an NCAA Division I quarterback record with 330 yards in a 2023 loss to Lafayette.

Sluka has completed 21 of 48 passes for 318 yards, six touchdowns and an interception for the Rebels this season. A quick and elusive runner, he has also completed 39 carries for 286 yards and a touchdown. He posted 113 rushing yards in a 23-20 win over Kansas on Sept. 13 that followed an earlier win over Houston, giving the Rebels a 2-0 lead against Big 12 teams.

“At the end of the day, $100,000 for a quarterback who’s in a top-25 program is probably on the low end,” Cromartie said. “The fact that he didn’t get that or anything in between shows that he’s being treated unjustly and unfairly.”

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AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta in Kansas City, Missouri, contributed.

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