Rece Davis rips Matthew Sluka for UNLV football saga: ‘Can’t just bail’

Sluka’s agent, Marcus Cromartie, claimed to ESPN that Friends of UNLV – the school’s NIL collective – had not paid him the $100,000 verbally promised to him by one of the team’s assistant coaches.

Sluka’s father Bob told the outlet that UNLV head coach Barry Odom said the offer was void because it did not come from him but from offensive coordinator Brennan Marion.

The offer was not made in writing.

“You talked about loyalty to the program — Matthew Sluka came from Holy Cross, he was a great player there,” Davis said. “But he came in July – there was no firm draw. Probably the most likely thing to be true is Occam’s razor philosophy. And it’s probably true that he was promised something and it wasn’t kept. That’s probably true.

“It’s obviously true that he didn’t have it in writing.”

Sluka had completed 43.8 percent of his passes for 318 yards, six touchdowns and one interception and had 253 yards and one touchdown on the ground.

UNLV started the season 3-0 for the first time since 1984.

According to the report, Friends of UNLV paid Sluka $3,000 for a gig he made over the summer, but the collective denied ever offering the $100,000 during his recruitment.

“In addition, Friends of UNLV did not finalize or agree to any NIL offers while he was part of the team, aside from one completed event over the summer.

“…We take commitments very seriously. We would like to emphasize that we have honored all Friends of UNLV contracts this season and have not reneged on any agreements with Mr. Sluka. Our commitment to supporting Rebels student-athletes remains unwavering and we are committed to maintaining the integrity of our programs.”