Undefeated 3-0, UNLV QB receives redshirt after NIL dispute

Nevada-Las Vegas, long a fringe force in college football, has been on the rise of late. After 18 unsuccessful seasons in 19 years from 2005 to 2022, the Rebels finished 9-5 last year and played in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, their first bowl appearance since 2013.

This year, the Rebels are 3-0 with wins over Big 12 members Houston and Kansas. They are ranked No. 23 in the AFCA Coaches Poll – their first poll in program history – and have received votes in the AP Top 25. And there are even rumors that the Rebels could land in the 12-team College Football Playoff if they win the Mountain West and finish in the top five conference champions.

The backstory makes the news, which emerged late Tuesday, all the more astonishing.

Matthew Sluka, UNLV's starting quarterback, left the team, citing verbal promises of ZERO money for name, image and likeness that he said were not kept.

“I have decided to use my redshirt year and will not play any more games this season,” Sluka posted on the X platform. “I chose to attend UNLV based on certain assurances that were made to me, which were not kept after I enrolled. Despite discussions, it became clear that these assurances would not be kept in the future.”

Sluka's agent, Marcus Cromartie, told On3.com that as a graduate of Holy Cross, Sluka was promised by an unnamed assistant coach that he would receive between $100,000 and $150,000 in NIL money. Sluka's father, Bob Sluka, told ESPN his son only received a $3,000 relocation fee.

Blueprint Sports, which manages Friends of UNLV, the school's NIL collective, issued a statement Wednesday saying that no formal NIL offers were made to Sluka during his recruitment. In addition, Friends of UNLV said it did not finalize or agree to any NIL offers while Sluka was on the team.

The UNLV athletic department also released a statement saying Sluka's personal representative made financial demands to the department and the collective so he could continue playing. The department said it viewed this as a pay-for-play situation that would violate NCAA rules. “UNLV does not engage in such activities nor does it respond to implied threats,” the statement said.