Georgia head coach Kirby Smart issued a dire warning regarding the immediate future of the sport in light of UNLV starting quarterback Matthew Sluka packing his bags and ending his season because of a financial commitment he claims was promised but not received.
“There’s probably going to be more and more of this going on, especially as the year goes on, November and December,” Smart said on the SEC media teleconference on Wednesday. “Athletic departments are going to struggle to be able to make their commitments come to fruition. I think we’re going to see some really tough times in college football when all this is said and done.”
Sluka, a senior, announced Tuesday night he was taking a redshirt and not playing the rest of the season for UNLV. He transferred to Las Vegas after four seasons at Holy Cross when, according to Sluka’s father, UNLV committed to paying the quarterback $100,000 under allowed Name, Image and Likeness rules.
Sluka’s agent, Marcus Cromartie of Equity Sports, told ESPN an assistant coach gave the six-figure verbal commitment to Sluka. Only after multiple inquiries, Cromartie said, did UNLV and its collective agree to make a payment. But it was for far less — $3,000 for four months, or $88,000 short of what the player and his representative claim was the initial agreement.
Bob Sluka said his son, Matthew, was told when he arrived at UNLV that he would be put on a payment plan but didn’t receive pay. The elder Sluka said Cromartie eventually was told the quarterback would receive only $3,000 to cover the move to Nevada, and his living expenses weren’t covered.
“I guess you’re asking me for a solution? I don’t have the answer,” Smart said Wednesday. “I can tell you that I don’t think it will be the last, and the way we’re moving into this abyss of unknown, and I’m talking about fiscal responsibility, financial commitments, financial promises, people sometimes make promises, and I know I’ve come across it in our recruiting, that they can’t keep.
“I’m not suggesting UNLV made promises they can’t keep. I’m not saying that. I don’t know that situation. I want to be clear. What I’m saying is it happens more and more. And it’s going to happen even more and more as we move into this revenue-share, where I feel like unless there’s a contract, and there’s a set contract where Person A has to stay a certain amount of time or they’re going to have to pay back this contract, we’re never going to get to where we want to get to.”
