SportsCenter Anchor Offers His Take on UNLV and Matthew Sluka Situation

The situation between UNLV and quarterback Matthew Sluka has taken center stage in the college football world.

Sep 13, 2024; Kansas City, Kansas, USA; UNLV Rebels quarterback Matthew Sluka (3) runs the ball against Kansas Jayhawks safety O.J. Burroughs (5) during the second half at Children's Mercy Park. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

As it has been for a while now, NIL is centerstage in the college football world. But, this isn’t a positive headline for the new age of collegiate sports.

UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka, who has helped lead the team to a surprising 3-0 start to the campaign, has announced that he will be sitting out the rest of the season. He plans to redshirt, retain the year of eligibility and transfer.

Unfulfilled promises about money is the biggest reason for him leaving. Reportedly, the Rebels had a verbal agreement with the former Holy Cross product worth $100,000.

Only a small portion of that, $3,000, is what he saw from the school’s NIL Collective. As a result, he is leaving the program despite the success the team has had in the early going.

It is a story that has garnered quotes, comments and opinions from a lot of people and places. One of the people to share their take on the situation was SportsCenter anchor, Scott Van Pelt.

Not long after the news broke initially, Van Pelt took to X, quoting another person's post in agreement that this entire situation is unavoidable with the current rules and regulations in place.

“There are no rules.,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “There are no cops to enforce rules which don’t exist in the first place.”

This is really it. There are no rules. There are no cops to enforce rules which don’t exist in the first place. https://t.co/fmCmWfrRUD

— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) September 25, 2024

Sluka isn’t the first player to have an NIL issue, and he won’t be the last.

Jaden Rashada, a former four-star recruit who signed a letter of intent with the Florida Gators, asked for his release after the school failed to make good on a promise. Rashada has a lawsuit filed against the school.

The biggest difference between the two is the redshirt tactic Sluka is using. The UNLV coaching staff is left scrambling as a result, playing without their starting quarterback.

Van Pelt doesn’t believe the current way things are done is sustainable. He wants to see changes made so schools are held accountable for promises they make and we don’t see team’s seasons ruined by players redshirting.

“It’s not having any rules,” he continued, via Chandler Vessels of On3. “That’s the issue. Guys can go anywhere every year. No professional sport has this. …This leads to collectives promising money they don’t have and players extorting for more if they outperform.”

The Rebels’ collective claims no formal offer was made to Sluka. But, this shows how much work is needed to be done in this relatively new world of collegiate sports.

Some sort of regulation would help protect everyone involved, as UNLV’s football season could now go off the rails because of Sluka’s departure.