UNLV Lost Its Starting Quarterback Over $100,000, But It Could End Up Costing The School Much More
Before this week, many of you probably had never heard of UNLV’s starting quarterback, Matthew Sluka. However, that all changed late Tuesday night when Sluka announced on X that he was immediately leaving the school — despite a 3-0 start with wins over Power 4 schools Houston and Kansas — because of a NIL dispute.
“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,” Sluka announced on X.
Sluka’s announcement immediately went viral because it was the first time a college football player had ever left a program mid-season due to a NIL dispute.
UNLV responded to the accusations by claiming Sluka’s agent began making financial demands from the school and its NIL collective after starting the season 3-0, saying, “UNLV does not engage in such activity, nor does it respond to implied threats.”
However, after looking into this for the last 48 hours, the truth is somewhere in the middle. The real story highlights a cautionary tale of mismanagement, broken promises, and the reality behind college football’s march toward professionalism.