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NIL Dispute Hurts UNLV Football

Originally posted on Dice City Sports | By Robert LaMar | Last updated Sep 25, 2024 1:42 PM ET

Starting quarterback Matthew Sluka has decided to leave the UNLV football program effective immediately. Sluka feels like his recruitment agreement was not upheld stating “certain representations” not being upheld by the program.

Sluka took to social media on X Tuesday night and addressed his decision to sit out for the rest of the season.

“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.”

pic.twitter.com/oK5BDRpoxK

— Matthew Sluka (@MatthewSluka) September 25, 2024

Sluka stated that he’ll redshirt this season. NCAA redshirt rules allow players to retain a year of eligibility if they play four or fewer games in a season. Sluka, who played four seasons (2020-23) at Holy Cross before transferring to UNLV this past offseason. Still has one more year of eligibility that he could use at another school next season.

This is a huge blow to the UNLV Rebels as they are off to their best season since 1984 standing at 3-0 and right outside of the top 25 in the polls. Sluka has completed 21 of 48 passes for 318 yards and six touchdowns with one interception this season, his first with the Rebels. The senior transfer also has rushed 39 times for 286 yards and a score.

NIL has clearly changed the landscape of college sports as athletes are now able to benefit off of their name, image and likeness. This isn’t the first dispute for NIL but it might just be the most dramatic one.

Next man up

Hajj-Malik Williams or Cameron Friel will have to assume the quarterback duties moving forward. As of right now Sluka’s replacement hasn’t been announced yet. UNLV ideally would like to reconcile this situation. We’ll continue to watch this story develop, stay tuned for more updates on this story.

This article first appeared on Dice City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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