Retzlaff maintains that he loved playing for the Cougars, despite being one of very few Jews on BYU's predominantly Mormon campus in Provo, Utah.

Retzlaff made the decision to withdraw from BYU after facing a seven-game suspension related to a violation of the school's honor code. That suspension stemmed from allegations of sexual assault, which were later dismissed in a civil lawsuit, and BYU's strict policy prohibiting premarital sex, a rule Retzlaff admitted to violating.