UNLV is claiming former quarterback Matt Sluka is bluffing when it comes to his shocking decision to leave the program due to a $100,000 NIL dispute.
“Thought he had a market value higher than he was making here,” UNLV coach Barry Odom told CBS.
After Sluka alleged UNLV did not hold its end up of a six-figure payday, the Rebels’ athletic program and Name Image Likeness (NIL) collective are claiming Sluka’s actions were instead an attempt to cash in on a hot start and receive more money than had previously been negotiated.
The quarterback officially announced his departure late Tuesday night in one of the crazier NIL stories in this new era of college athletics.
Sluka’s camp alleged to ESPN that he did not receive any of the $100,000 negotiated with an assistant after he agreed to transfer from Holy Cross and he had only received $3,000 for a moving stipend.
The quarterback’s side alleges UNLV instead countered with an offer of $3,000 over four months, which would have been $88,000 short of the supposed initial proposal.
They insisted that all they asked for was the amount that had been discussed.
UNLV, though, is painting Sluka’s actions as a money grab and said it honored its “previously agreed-upon scholarships.”
“Football player Matthew Sluka’s representative made financial demands upon the University and its NIL collective in order to continue playing,” UNLV’s athletic department said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “UNLV Athletics interpreted these demands as a violation of the NCAA pay-for-play rules, as well as Nevada state law. 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.”
A key point in this argument centers around what may have been verbally promised versus what actually had been formalized in writing.
Bob Sluka, Matt’s father, told ESPN that Odom said in a phone conversation the $100,000 offer didn’t stand up since it came from offensive coordinator Brennan Marion and not him.
Odom previously told CBS “there was nothing binding him to us other than a handshake, and, ‘Yeah, I’m coming,’ until he gets to campus. And that’s the way the rules were at that time.”
Rob Sine, the CEO of Blueprint Sports, which runs UNLV’s NIL Collective, Friends of UNILV, told CBS that it had not agreed to the $100,000 figure Sluka’s camp has mentioned and has made every promised payment.
He told ESPN the collective paid Sluka $3,000 for an appearance this summer.
“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 told CBS. “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. 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.”
Friends of UNILV released a statement stating it had not made any “formal” offers to the quarterback.
“To clarify, there were no NIL offers made during Mr. Sluka’s recruitment process,” the statement read. “Additionally, Friends of UNILV did not finalize or agree to any NIL offers while he was part of the team, aside from a completed community engagement event over the summer.
“At Blueprint Sports and Friends of UNILV, we take our commitments very seriously. We would like to emphasize that we have upheld all Friends of UNILV contracts this season, and have not defaulted on any agreements with Mr. Sluka.”
As the sides attempted to find some middle ground, Sluka offered UNLV one deal that would have netted him less than half of the $100,000 figure, according to CBS, but the parties could not come to an agreement and the undefeated Rebels now lack their starting quarterback.
Sluka will now have the chance to sign with another program and retain his eligibility.
“I committed to UNLV based on certain representations that were made to me, which were not upheld after I enrolled,” Sluka posted on social media. “Despite discussions, it became clear that these 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.”
Sluka’s exit already is causing ripples with the previously favored Rebels flipping from favorite status to underdogs before returning to two-point favorites at ESPN Bet over the last roughly 24 hours.