UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka didn’t get what he was promised, so he left. An assistant coach promised Skula over $100K to attend UNLV, but he left the university overnight after claims of unfulfilled verbal NIL promises.
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Sluka’s agent, Marcus Cromartie, told ESPN that UNLV didn’t come through with their verbal offer. Bob Skula, Matthew’s father, told ESPN that head coach Barry Odom later said in a phone conversation that the offer wasn’t valid because it didn’t come from him but rather from offensive coordinator Brennan Marion.
UNLV released a statement of its own, saying Sluka made initial demands that the university and NIL couldn’t meet.
Quarterback Matthew Sluka #3 of the UNLV Rebels drives upfield against the Kansas Jayhawks during the fourth quarter at Childrens Mercy Park on September 13, 2024 in Kansas City, Kansas. UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka has left the undefeated Rebels over claims of unfulfilled verbal NIL promises from a UNLV assistant coach.
Photo by Kyle Rivas/Getty Images
“UNLV Athletics interpreted these demands as a violation of the NCAA pay-for-play rules, as well as Nevada state law,” the school said in its statement. “UNLV does not engage in such activity, nor does it respond to implied threats. UNLV has honored all previously agreed-upon scholarships for Matthew Sluka.
“UNLV has conducted its due diligence and will continue to operate its programs within the framework of NCAA rules and regulations, as well as Nevada state laws.”
In addition, Rob Sine, the CEO of Blueprint Sports, which operates UNLV’s collective, told CBS Sports that they had not agreed to a $100K figure with Skula.
“We were introduced to the agent less than a month ago for the first time and the agent said he wanted to explore opportunities for his client,” Sine said. “We informed that he was not registered with the state or with the school and that he needed to be so the athlete needed to talk to the coaches directly. There was a discussion via email about 3,000 a month of a recurring payment and then the agent said no we’re still discussing, we’ll let you know how things progress, don’t onboard my athlete onto your program yet. And that was it. All of this happens in the span of less than a couple weeks. We never agreed to $100,000, it was never brought to us that was what the number needed to be. I’m learning about a lot of this like you guys are.
“The collective is in great shape and has made every payment that it’s needed to make and stood up to every obligation we’ve been contracted to do,” Sine said. “Everything we do is contracted, we don’t do anything verbally. We have documentation on every deal we do. There was nothing for this guy. He received $3,000 from us this summer and that was it. We took care of that.”
Skula and UNLV never saw eye to eye, and because of that, he left when he could. Multiple sources told CBS Sports that Sluka had not received any NIL money from UNLV.
Skula is a Long Island native who attended Holy Cross before he left for the Runnin’ Rebels. According to 247Sports, he was the No. 32 quarterback in the transfer portal.
UNLV is off to a 3-0 start, thanks to Skula. In his three games of the season, he’s completed 21 of his 48 passes for 318 yards, six touchdowns, one interception, and completed 43.8 percent of his passes.
Hajj-Malik Williams will likely be the starting quarterback for UNLV moving forward.
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