UNLV star quarterback Matthew Sulka has left the team amid allegations that he was not paid $100,000 for name, image and likeness rights.
Sulka announced in a social media post that he would take advantage of the redshirt option for the remainder of the season, without providing further details.
“I have decided to take advantage of my redshirt year and not play any additional games this season,” Sulka said. Written.
Redshirting allows a football player to gain an extra year of NCAA eligibility as long as he plays three games or less.
The UNLV Rebels are off to a 3-0 start under Coach Sulka and are ranked No. 23 in the AFCA Coaches Poll, the first time the program has been ranked in a major poll.
“I enrolled at UNLV based on certain promises, but after enrolling, those promises were not kept,” Sulka's statement continued. “Despite discussions, it has become clear that those promises will not be fulfilled in the future. I wish my teammates the best of luck this season and wish the program continued success.”
Surka side
Sulka's agent, Marcus Cromartie, and his father, Bob Sulka, said: ESPN UNLV did not match a verbal offer of $100,000 reportedly made by offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, after head coach Barry Odom reportedly told him over the phone that the offer was invalid because it did not come from him.
Sulka's father and attorney claim that when Sulka enrolled at UNLV over the summer, she was told the scholarship would be distributed in installments. That plan then appears to have been postponed, and Sulka was told the payment would be made once she enrolled and began classes.
According to the attorney, the school and the organization that administers NIL payments formally offered him $3,000 a month for four months, which was $88,000 less than what he was offered, but Sulka allegedly only received $3,000 for moving expenses.
NCAA programs use organizations to handle NIL contracts and schools do not directly handle player contracts of that nature.
UNLV's organization, Blueprint Sports, said it paid Sulka a one-time $3,000 payment for a summer event but was unaware of the promise of $100,000, and that Sulka first contacted the organization in August but never contacted anyone about the missed payment.
“They kept saying, 'We don't know. Wait,'” Bob Sulka said. “Then they said, 'We're going to give you a match check.' And we said, 'OK, great.' We didn't ask for a dollar. [more]At one point, we had to pay out of our own pocket to have him stay there because they weren't even covering the living expenses for him to stay there.”
The father also claimed that a verbal agreement had been reached when Marion, the offensive coordinator, and a sports agent visited the family the previous winter to recruit.
“We left there with the understanding that we were going to get a certain amount of money for Matt to come there on a NIL contract — not an exorbitant amount of money, but a reasonable, fair amount,” added Bob Sulka, who said his son received more than 25 NIL offers from other schools.
“UNLV has no involvement in such activities and will not respond to implied threats.”
UNLV side
UNLV largely avoided directly addressing the allegations, saying Sulka's agent had made financial demands to continue playing, which the university argued were illegal and constituted “implied threats.”
UNLV alleged that Sulka's “representatives made financial demands to the university and its NIL organization in order to continue playing.”
“UNLV Athletics interpreted these demands as a violation of NCAA pay-for-play rules and Nevada state law. … UNLV has not engaged in such activities, nor will it respond to implied threats. UNLV has fulfilled all previously agreed-upon scholarships for Matthew Sulka.”
“UNLV has conducted its due diligence and will continue to operate its program within the framework of NCAA rules and regulations and Nevada state law,” the statement concluded.
Tim Buckley, the NCAA's senior vice president for external relations, offered a different take on the incident, though he did not directly address the specific situation.
“Unfortunately, there is little oversight or accountability in the NIL field and too often promises to student-athletes are broken,” Buckley said.
He added that “positive change” is underway as the NCAA considers adding benefits, but blamed “Congress” and “the courts” for limiting the NCAA's ability to regulate third parties regarding non-life transactions.
Sulka said he plans to work with his quarterbacks coach during the break and then wait until the January transfer period to look for another school.
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