UNLV QB Matthew Sluka says he won’t play again this season.
Sluka said in a social media post that he will not play the rest of the season due to unfulfilled promises apparently made to him. Sluka was the Rebels’ starting quarterback for the first three games of the season, and UNLV started the season 3-0 with wins over Houston and Kansas.
“I have decided to take advantage of my redshirt year and will not play any more games this season,” Sluka said. “I chose UNLV because of certain commitments that were made to me that were not honored after I enrolled. Despite discussions, it became clear that those commitments 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.”
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, who spoke with Sluka’s agent Marcus Cromartie of Equity Sports, a UNLV assistant coach promised Sluka at least $100,000 to transfer there. Cromartie told Thamel that none of that was paid. Crucially, the agreement was verbal in nature. Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports confirmed that nothing was put in writing. After Sluka enrolled, UNLV reportedly made no effort to formalize the deal and ultimately offered him a contract that was significantly less than promised.
He said the school and the collective had reached a contract for $3,000 a month for the next four months, $88,000 less than what UNLV said Cromartie verbally promised up front.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) 25 September 2024
When that didn’t work out, he reviewed his options and decided to play somewhere else next year. The redshirt allows him to play an entire spring at a new school and develop with a coach this fall. He enrolled at UNLV in July after graduating from Holy Cross and missing the spring.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) 25 September 2024
Sluka’s agent told Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger that the door is not closed on a return to the team, but he put the blame on UNLV and is no longer on the school’s online roster.
Can Matthew Sluka return to UNLV?
His agent Marcus Cromartie tells @YahooSports: “It’s up to Barry Odom. Matt has openly said he wants to play football, but $3,000 a month for the next four months just isn’t fair.”
Background here – https://t.co/6QwYnYlRnh
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) 25 September 2024
The UNLV collective issued a statement to Dellenger on Wednesday afternoon.
UNLV followed the collective with a statement, accusing Sluka’s agent of making “financial demands.”
“The representative of football player Matthew Sluka made financial demands on the university and its NIL collective so that he could continue playing,” the school said. “The UNLV athletics department interpreted these demands as a violation of the NCAA’s pay-for-play rules as well as Nevada state law. UNLV does not engage in such activities or respond to implied threats. UNLV has honored all previously agreed-upon scholarships for Matthew Sluka.
“UNLV has fulfilled its duty of care and will continue to operate its programs within the rules and regulations of the NCAA and the laws of the State of Nevada.”
Sluka is the first and most notorious player to miss the season due to NIL issues. Current Georgia QB Jaden Rashada landed at Arizona State for his freshman season after a NIL contract with Florida fell through. However, that drama occurred before Rashada had a chance to take the field for the Gators.
Sluka took over as UNLV’s starting quarterback as the Rebels looked for a replacement for last year’s starter Jayden Maiava, who stepped up as a freshman and threw for over 3,000 yards as UNLV made its first bowl appearance since 2013.
However, at the end of the season, he entered the transfer portal and briefly stayed at Georgia. After withdrawing his commitment from the Bulldogs, Maiava landed at USC and is now the No. 2 QB behind Miller Moss.
Sluka is a fifth-year senior who spent the last four seasons of his career at Holy Cross. In 2023, he threw 122 of 197 passes for 1,723 yards and 20 TDs with just five interceptions. Players can appear in up to four games and still take a redshirt season, allowing Sluka to play a sixth season of college football in 2025 as long as he doesn’t appear in two more games that season.
With Sluka unavailable, UNLV’s top two quarterbacks are Cameron Friel and Hajj-Malik Williams. Friel has thrown one pass this season and both played in the team’s win over Utah Tech.
