Why didn't we just give the kid the money to avoid all the crap?
Sluka Redshirting and Transferring
- Thread starter LocoRebel
- Start date
I get the feeling there is a little more going on than the money. It's not that much.
Probably for the same reason you never pay an extortionist, because that won't be the end of it. What happens if we go undefeated and play BSU in the title game? Is he in Odom's office threatening to sit if they don't give him even more? And what happens when the team hears all you have to do is threaten to leave the team and they will give you a bag.
I need a Conference Championship bonus....
Yup. If UNLV paid, Ricky, Woodard, DeJesus, several others would be rather pissed off I suspect. It is really a no wind situation (which UNLV (Marion) should have never allowed to get this far). The best road to take is the one UNLV/Odom chose. It’s a sh/t sandwich either way but in this path at least you maintain your locker room and perhaps it adds more fuel to motivate the team.
Not for the lack of ability to......again F Sluka for trying to pull a power move and using the teams good start as leverage. There was money out there to get paid if Sluka took the correct approach. Threatening the university and head coach not a good way.... from the RJ below
Sluka announced late Tuesday his intention to redshirt the remainder of the season over his belief that the school had failed to fulfill a verbal commitment to pay him $100,000. UNLV has disputed that claim.
On Wednesday, Circa CEO Derek Stevens and vice president of operations Mike Palm decided it would be in the best interest of the community to do their part to help UNLV during a historic football season.
So Palm reached out to UNLV with an offer from Circa to pay the money and keep the Rebels’ starting quarterback on the team.
“Derek and I talked about the situation and thought it would be worth it for $100 thousand to keep the Rebels’ playoff hopes alive,” Palm told the Review-Journal on Thursday.
The whole Sluka timeline doesn't add up for his "NIL offer". The guy hired an agent before he ended his season at Holy Cross.
Then he committed to the Rebels on January 16th.
Then the next month UNLV offered him a NIL deal?
Seems more likely his camp asked for money after the hot start.
Then he committed to the Rebels on January 16th.
Then the next month UNLV offered him a NIL deal?
Seems more likely his camp asked for money after the hot start.
It seems very likely that Sluka tried to raise the agreed upon price.
Holdouts, threats, and power plays cannot be tolerated. You can't set that precedent, even if you have a donor willing to step up and pay him. Can't let that happen.
Holdouts, threats, and power plays cannot be tolerated. You can't set that precedent, even if you have a donor willing to step up and pay him. Can't let that happen.
Correct. Otherwise it becomes a pay for play scheme and that will not go over well for NCAA.
Powerplays and holdouts work all the time - everywhere. It all depends on who has the power. Rational people make a decision based on the totality of the facts of the situation. In this case, he can't come back to the well time after time because he won't be able to redshirt. We should have paid him and let him play. Then we should have made sure ALL our recruiting measures were tightened up. Nobody would have known anything.
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agreed. Hopefully UNLV told the Circa guys, no thank you on the payment to Sluka, but please do submit a donation to the NIL collective that we can use for the next round of players.
The "Circa Guys" aka Derek Stevens is going to be huge moving forward. That fool has so much cash and loves UNLV sports. I believe the story he tried to come through with a $100k donation to the UNILV. He's that type of guy. He's an "old school" casino owner. Wants to help the city if it makes him look good and brings people through his doors.
I used to assist with a podcast/radio show that was done out of the D back in 2015-16 or so. One of the nicest guys. Walked the floor. Talked to people. He seemed genuine about it to. Even if he's a huge phony he does in invest in Vegas.
The UNLV failure here is not having developed Stevens (and others) as major program donors. WTF is the development team in the Athletic Dept doing all day??
Dude. He already is. He didn't call UNLV out of the blue because he heard about this story on ESPN2's Cold Pizza. Is that still a thing?
A representative for a local casino mogul reached out to UNLV officials Wednesday with an offer to pay the reported asking price of former quarterback Matthew Sluka.
But the conversation didn’t go far.
Sluka announced late Tuesday his intention to redshirt the remainder of the season over his belief that the school had failed to fulfill a verbal commitment to pay him $100,000. UNLV has disputed that claim.
On Wednesday, Circa CEO Derek Stevens and vice president of operations Mike Palm decided it would be in the best interest of the community to do their part to help UNLV during a historic football season.
So Palm reached out to UNLV with an offer from Circa to pay the money and keep the Rebels’ starting quarterback on the team.
“Derek and I talked about the situation and thought it would be worth it for $100 thousand to keep the Rebels’ playoff hopes alive,” Palm told the Review-Journal on Thursday.
Palm said he was told almost immediately there was no chance of such a deal being worked out, as Sluka had already left the program and the relationship appeared to have soured.
A university source confirmed the phone call took place.
Hajj-Malik Williams is expected to replace Sluka at quarterback, and bettors are backing the sixth-year transfer at Circa. UNLV is a 1.5-point favorite over Fresno State in Saturday’s game at Allegiant Stadium after the Bulldogs briefly were favored when news broke of Sluka’s departure.
“After seeing the number move back up, maybe it’s Hajj-Malik we should have been focused on,” Palm said.
The parties indicated a hope that the conversation could lead to an expanded relationship.
This is the article. Where does it say Derek Stevens or his companies haven't invested in UNLV sports in the past?
But the conversation didn’t go far.
Sluka announced late Tuesday his intention to redshirt the remainder of the season over his belief that the school had failed to fulfill a verbal commitment to pay him $100,000. UNLV has disputed that claim.
On Wednesday, Circa CEO Derek Stevens and vice president of operations Mike Palm decided it would be in the best interest of the community to do their part to help UNLV during a historic football season.
So Palm reached out to UNLV with an offer from Circa to pay the money and keep the Rebels’ starting quarterback on the team.
“Derek and I talked about the situation and thought it would be worth it for $100 thousand to keep the Rebels’ playoff hopes alive,” Palm told the Review-Journal on Thursday.
Palm said he was told almost immediately there was no chance of such a deal being worked out, as Sluka had already left the program and the relationship appeared to have soured.
A university source confirmed the phone call took place.
Hajj-Malik Williams is expected to replace Sluka at quarterback, and bettors are backing the sixth-year transfer at Circa. UNLV is a 1.5-point favorite over Fresno State in Saturday’s game at Allegiant Stadium after the Bulldogs briefly were favored when news broke of Sluka’s departure.
“After seeing the number move back up, maybe it’s Hajj-Malik we should have been focused on,” Palm said.
The parties indicated a hope that the conversation could lead to an expanded relationship.
This is the article. Where does it say Derek Stevens or his companies haven't invested in UNLV sports in the past?
Could have been an empty but “feel good” offering from them. A little pub doing something “good”. How would had been known unless they reached out to media?
Like I said, Derek (like any business man) will put himself out there to make himself look good and get people into the Circa (and the D, maybe?) and his name in the news.
There's no doubt he would have written that check, though. Do you know how much money it would take to pay marketers to create a campaign with that much national pub? WELLLLLL above $100k.
He would have been interviewed on ESPN, Fox Sports, The View, Al Jezeera, Mad Magazine, Boys Life, Chunky Asses....
Could have also been because the offer Sluka was asking for was a violation.
I will give you a one time pass and not call you an IDIOT.
“The parties indicated a hope that the conversation could lead to an expanded relationship.”
- Implies that the relationship between UNLV and Stevens/Circa is not very deep. I’m not an insider so there could be a long-standing relationship here but that sentence from the article implies otherwise.
Why the sensitivity to my comment? Do you work for Stevens or UNLV Athletics? Honest question.
I AM Derek Stevens.
I just didn't read it the same as you. Wasn't attempting to be sensitive. Onward and upward.
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I was hoping someone would know the Chunky Asses reference...anyone?
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Derek came from Detroit but Mike Palm has been here for quite a few years. It might have been Mike who brought it to the attention of Derek. No inside sources, just a guess.
NCAA prez urges mandates amid NIL 'dysfunction'
NCAA president Charlie Baker urged Congress to create national guidelines amid what he called "evidence of dysfunction in today's NIL environment."
Why is no one asking if unlv would have found the money if sluka was actually good?
We would see 9 in the box the rest of the season with sluka and his running lanes would be closed up.
This was a way to get rid of Sluka without benching him. We have a few great play makers on offense and Sluka was not getting them the ball. Coach said in presser after first game. Qb job is to get the ball to the play makers. He sure was not doing that.
We would see 9 in the box the rest of the season with sluka and his running lanes would be closed up.
This was a way to get rid of Sluka without benching him. We have a few great play makers on offense and Sluka was not getting them the ball. Coach said in presser after first game. Qb job is to get the ball to the play makers. He sure was not doing that.
Well considering he coached Randall Cunningham I think he’d know a good QB when he sees one. He goes out to practice. He also always knows when we’re going to win. He text me during the Kansas game. When we were down. He thought we were going to come back. We did.
Because the minute you do that, you would need to come up with a lot more money for players like Woodard, DeJesus, White III, etc. That is why I never believed anything out of the mouth of Sluka and family.
@RebelScrub I’ll introduce you to Harvey Hyde if I ever get up that way again.
Sorry, man. If this is an older movie reference, then you've got to hit me with a Dr Rosen Rosen reference.
If it's a newer movie reference, it's VERY likely I haven't seen the movie. I'm guessing that I may have watched 2 movies made after Covid started and maybe 3-4 within the 5 years prior.
I get your point. But I said if Sluka was actually good. Say he was good enough that unlv was really moving the ball thru the air and qb had big buzz of being great. We will never know, but the story may have been different.
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