College football has seen unprecedented levels of seismic change over the last couple of years, but what has transpired in Las Vegas might just take the cake. UNLV's starting quarterback, Matthew Sluka, announced that he is taking a redshirt year and leaving the program amidst broken NIL promises. "I have decided to utilise my redshirt year and will not be playing in any additional games this season," Sluka wrote via a post on X.
"I committed to UNLV based on certain representations that were made to me, which were not upheld after I enrolled. 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 had led the Rebels to a 3-0 start, including two wins over Power 4 teams in Kansas and Houston. He has them squarely in contention for the Group of 5's playoff spot and even helped the Rebels land a spot in the USA Today coaches poll for the first time in the program’s history. So what went wrong? Why leave a good thing in such abrupt fashion? Promises made were made and promises were broken, allegedly.
Marcus Cromartie of Equity Sports, Sluka's NIL representation, told ESPN that a UNLV assistant coach verbally promised Sluka $100,000 to transfer there. Sluka is understood to have transferred to UNLV from Holy Cross over the summer with the understanding that he would be receiving a six-figure payday when he showed up. Sluka did not.
