Scott Van Pelt on Matthew Sluka, NIL promises: 'There are no cops to enforce rules which don't exist'

We got another example Wednesday morning of how NIL has radically changed college sports in the form of Matthew Sluka. The UNLV quarterback announced on social media that he was leaving the team due to an unfulfilled promise of money that he never received.

The Rebels reportedly made a verbal offer of $100,000 for Sluka to transfer to Las Vegas from Holy Cross. He only ever saw a grand total of $3,000 from the university’s collective.

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SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt took to social media shortly after the news to offer his thoughts on the situation and how it shows a growing problem with NIL.

“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.”

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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

This isn’t the first time that a player has decided to leave a school because of unfulfilled NIL promises. Former four-star recruit Jaden Rashada infamously asked for a released from his letter of intent at Florida after the Gators failed to make good on an offer promising him millions. He has since filed a lawsuit against the university.

However, Sluka had already started the first four games of the season for the Rebels. His decision to transfer now will allow him to redshirt and retain a year of eligibility, and UNLV is now left to find a quick solution.

Van Pelt went on to write in the comments of his post that the current NIL landscape is “unsustainable.” He called for change and rules to hold schools accountable for their promises and prevent the growing number of transfers we see each season.

“It’s not having any rules,” he continued. “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.”

UNLV’s NIL collective said in a statement that it never made a “formal offer” to Sluka during his recruitment. Regardless, this situation highlights the need for a different way of doing things more than ever.