What Happened to Lance Rentzel?
As of 2009, former NFL flanker Lance Rentzel was living in Dallas, Texas after several years residing in the Washington D.C. area. Rentzel retired from football in 1975 after nine seasons split among three teams. His once-successful career was overshadowed by two incidents of indecent exposure involving children.
Following a standout college career at the University of Oklahoma, Rentzel was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 1965 NFL Draft. After two seasons with the Vikings, Rentzel was traded to the Dallas Cowboys, where he made an instant impact, amassing 2,965 yards with the club in his first three seasons while leading the league in receiving touchdowns in 1969.
In November 1970, Rentzel exposed himself to a 10 year-old girl who was playing in her front yard in the Dallas suburb of University Park. It was then revealed the star was involved in a similar incident while in Minnesota four years earlier.
As a result, wife and renowned film star Joey Heatherton filed for divorce and the Cowboys traded the troubled Rentzel to the Los Angeles Rams. Rentzel never regained his previous form. While on probation for indecent exposure, Rentzel was cited for marijuana possession and suspended by the NFL for the 1973 season. Rentzel suited up for the club in 1974, the final season before his release and subsequent retirement.
