Vegas Sports Talk Uncensored Podcasts
9/26 Matthew Sluka's agent Marcus Cormartie on SXM College
All right welcome back in it is off campus here on this Wednesday afternoon college sports radio serious xm channel 84 We are going to be joined now by a Marcus chromardi Equity sports. This is Matthew Sluka's agent somebody that I'm sure has had a very busy day. So Marcus. We appreciate your time Thanks for joining us today Thanks for having me. Thanks for having me All right, so you know kind of here to get started Obviously, there's been a lot of different things going on today a lot of different messages have been put out There, but just from you what has the timeline been since, you know, Matthew gets on campus after he does Decide to transfer. What does that look like from that moment until today where you decide? That he is not going to play anymore at UNLV He's going to red shirt and then enter the transfer portal kind of what events kind of led to this decision Right. Well, let me first say there's a lot of misinformation going on and at the end of the day This is this is Matthew's decision collectively. I help him make it, but this is a Matthew's decision Based off certain facts that came to light. So just to backwards Me and Matthew start a relationship close to a year ago Watching them at Holy Cross. I thought it's a guy who had a lot of potential to play at the next level still does It's a great player great guy Find them to a NIL deal to help them through the portal Matthew then enters the portal He had discussions with several teams one of which was UNLV and We we thought it was a great fit for him to Play right away after he had other other schools call him offer more money, you know But we felt UNLV with a better fit I had conversations with you at UNLV coaches about what the NIL came and would look like We asked for a hundred thousand minimum. They said that wouldn't be a problem But one thing that's different for a map situation than the most transfer quarterback Matt still was in the road at Holy Cross Matt was finishing graduating that spring so Matt didn't enroll into UNLV to the following fall So we have an agreement that was made in place in January You can't find a NIL agreement without the student being enrolled after school So there was seven months that we had to just wait in terms of we had to just Understand the verbal agreement was what was what it was and so Matt gets to school in the fall and we right away Contact the collective asking help, you know, what's going on with the payment like how is this going to be sorted out? Then they and then tell me well we didn't hear this from coach Odom I talked to coach Odom, coach Odom gives me that he said well, it has to come from me It didn't come from me. So it's not you know, it's not what it is It's you know, we can't help him. So I said at that point. Okay. Well, I understand a hundred K over the next five months Might be it might be hard for you to do. How about we just try to get him 10k a month? They said no, I said, okay. Okay, coach. Will you promise a hundred? How about we at least try to get him five camera just to you know And we try to find money elsewhere where we can coach Odom told me 3k a month take it or leave it For the rest of the season. That's all they can offer. So we felt at that point what we was promised from the coaches which was a hundred K and 12k is two different amounts and you know I bought that to Matt and we felt you know with that along with the fact that he can go to another school in January and You know have the whole spring and summer To work with the coaches and the receivers may all that be and you have a better chance moving forward with transparency Well Marcus again We appreciate you giving us the time and also giving us that transparency because I agree when things come out like this a lot of News outlets want to get it out as fast as possible so they can break the news first And there is a ton of misinformation when these things happen But more on a personal level about Matthew who has played well again got this UNLV team Already beating two big twelve opponents sitting at three and oh going into the you know conference play How hard of a decision was this for him again as a quarterback? I think that's been a part of our conversation You know we all kind of have different views on it But ultimately I'm sure as the QB of this team even though he was new there had to be a hard gut wrenching decision mate To kind of choose self in this one. Oh For sure, I think if anybody was ever around Matthew they would know if used to watch him play He he plays with everything he has you know, I mean it was a reason he was leading a team in passing and rushing You know, this is God who left it all in a field. I mean you watch the Kansas game. You would see will that team to victory? So I know he wants to be out there with teammates, but at the end of the day I Think he's standing up for himself, which every player should do I mean at the end of the day players should have the right to To be a to get what they were told that they would be got so I think it's a miscommunication in terms of How the collective works that you and I be and what the coaches say I think that's something that they need to do organizational wise and try to figure that out But as far as us from the the player in a representation standpoint we thought that with the coaches told us will be We thought there would be fair and and they wasn't at the end of the day So you know as you talked Marcus about You know the process going through so it was one of the assistants I'm taking it the kind of that had made that promise earlier was there any there was no corroboration of that you know After that was made with anyone else in the collective or the head coach until like when was that around training camp? You know earlier like in the mid-summer just trying to understand the timeline kind of who all was making the promises It was the office of coordinator In January so the office of coordinator was the main one who was recruiting them He was the one that made the promises from there You know we take those promises and we hold them there and tie it because Matthew is still enrolled in Holy Cross And so right when he was able to enroll at UNLV We approached the collective on what was told from us from the coach To try to get a signed contract from there You know they played Tennis where they was going back and forth and and here we are now And if I'm not mistaken Marcus that happens in January it was March and in which I believe it was a Tennessee court that Allowed for contracts and NIL deals correct. So is it because it was before the March? Kind of core date. That's why maybe contracts weren't signed Well that and I'm gonna be honest with you many many programs Don't give NIL contracts into players on a road That's just something that that's done within the organism was within the college and university. So We had understood was that okay The coach offered the money when Matthew was enrolled We would sign the contract with the NIL and then we will move forward as such and to be honest with you We we thought the hundred thousand wasn't a hard-ask, you know We would offer more money, but we thought this is a better fit to go from a hundred thousand to three thousand That's a big discrepancy Well mark is another follow-up question more so again about Matthew, you know Does he does he think this will be an effect in next year's portal because again? He's already decided to jump in the portal and also I mean if there was a way to rectify this this season if UNLV was at least able to meet you halfway because that's Another thing we've talked about it's a whole difference talking about hundred K versus three K Like that's kind of ridiculous almost a slap in the face and just say hey take it and leave it I mean does he think that this also might affect him once he jumps into the portal after this season. I Don't think so because you know it Matthew didn't go knocking on the door asking for something that he wasn't told He would get and at the end of the day we did try to negotiate. We said okay like maybe a hundred K Might be hard at this point. We'll let water be under the bridge. We'll let bygos be got bygos Can you give us ten thousand a month for the next five months? They still said no, so this wasn't a strong hold by no No This wasn't a strong heart at all. This is just Matthew simply wanting what was told you would get and then at the end of the day When they said no, he tried to negotiate a better chance for himself and they still was gone home keeping this three thousand a month Or that in this you know this can happen sometimes marks. That's why you have agents That's why you're involved in this, you know, you're much better To represent the player than it is to represent them to represent themselves like where they say or the coach is saying anything to him Well, you were talking about this, you know as far as what was going on or are these because you got to forgive me This was a bunch of old guys here Marcus. I mean we're this didn't happen. We were in school So just trying to understand the dynamics. Hey Marcus old too. Yeah a little bit Yeah Translates like the NFL like you'll talk to your position coaches and things your agent will then talk to the front office and whatever And I know it's a little more muddied in college like did he have a pretty amicable relationship with everyone? Did they feel like it was headed in the right direction? I mean To be honest, we thought that He was well respected throughout the team. We thought he had a good pulse on after they named him and started quarterback It was a quarterback competition to start Um and he was named to start a quarterback. So they they felt some type of faith But then was so I thought they believed he can win games for him at the end of the day Just the first time you know be you've been ranked in 40 years and Matthew was leading rushing and passes So it's clear. He meant a lot to the team but it just when it when it came down to it and We approached about unfulfilled promises. It just wasn't met Well crow last one for me in the future because I think a lot of us will learn from this situation You know and obviously it it's a soul one for Matthew Of course because I'm sure he wants to continue to play because he's playing well The team is winning and maybe even likes it there in Vegas at UNLV But moving forward because I know you have other clients. You're gonna continue to get guys that have an IL opportunities How does this get fixed like how does this not happen again for another player? Or maybe there's a parent that's listening and their son is going to be in a situation like this where maybe you know A team doesn't back up what they actually said they were going to do during the recruiting process. I Think it starts with the team, but I think it's also the University's they're having transparency and just Understanding that you know, you can't use the excuse of oh hey where you didn't hear for me So it's not valid. Well if you have a BP of a company, he offers you something. You're not gonna You know the president is not gonna come back where they say what you didn't hear for me So, you know it needs to be full transparency from top to bottom with the coaching staff with the collective At the end of the day the agents were just working on behalf of the players And we just want to see the players not be lied to at the end of the day and not be led astray All right, Marcus well again, man We appreciate you offering the time best of luck to you best of luck to all your guys at equity sports and obviously best of luck to Matthew Soak as he excuse me slook as he looks toward his his future. Thanks, man