Photo Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Washington Commanders kicker Zane Gonzalez became a social media sensation after his pre-kick routine before a game-winning field goal against Tampa Bay in the wild-card round. As he walked to receive an award during a team meeting Thursday, Gonzalez reenacted the moment, fixing his hair multiple times to laughter from his teammates.
The NBC cameras captured Gonzalez’s meticulous preparation: adjusting his sock, rubbing his hair, tapping his helmet, and finally donning it before nailing a dramatic field goal that bounced off the right upright and over the crossbar. That kick secured a 23-20 victory and propelled the Commanders into the divisional round against the Detroit Lions on Saturday.
Tying OCD to the Moment
What appeared quirky to fans on social media actually stems from a lifelong challenge for Gonzalez: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
“It’s a little routine going through it every time,” Gonzalez explained. “It just happened to be on a bigger stage, so there’s just a lot more attention on it.
“You’ve got to have humility, and if not, you’ll drive yourself crazy. It’s stuff that I’ve always kind of laughed at.”
While the internet buzzed with commentary, Gonzalez and his wife, Lizzy, chose to laugh about the situation. Lizzy even posted a TikTok defending him against critics. “If you try to fight the internet, you’re going to lose.”
“We had this little chuckle about all this stuff,” Gonzalez said. “She had a post that was kind of comical, as well. We try to have fun in life as much as we can.
“That situation, we tried to see the bright part of it. I mean, I made the kick. Whatever happened before, happened before. She is used to seeing it. She’s used to seeing me on the sideline. She’s seen me at the practice field doing the same stuff. For us, it’s just funny that it’s just on such a big stage and how it all unfolded.”
For Gonzalez, the exposure wasn’t all negative. He received messages of support from others with OCD, thanking him for shedding light on the condition. “There’s all sorts of people that walk through life dealing with struggles on a day-to-day [basis], and a lot of it’s at home that people don’t see,” Gonzalez said. “For example, like last night resetting my alarm about 100 times making sure it’s OK kind of gets on my wife’s nerves a little bit, but at times it’s just kind of how it goes.”
A Lifelong Challenge
Gonzalez was diagnosed with OCD as a child and remembers how it disrupted his daily life. He recounted struggling to complete homework, once spending hours rewriting the same letter until his parents had to intervene. “Then you erase it and rewrite that same letter, and now you’re writing the same letter for three hours straight,” he said. “I remember as a kid, I would get really upset to the point where it was like I really couldn’t even do my homework.
“My dad would take me outside on a walk, go play soccer — do something to get my mind off it, and then come back to it. That was their way of addressing it for me: Just getting me away from whatever that was. It was pretty much crippling me at that time.”
As he grew older, Gonzalez learned to manage his OCD with therapy and other coping mechanisms. “Whenever you’re having one of those situations come up, whatever it may be, you think the worst possible situation’s going to come of it,” he said. “It could be the most unrealistic, crazy, unimaginable thing, and people will be like, ‘You’re crazy for thinking that stuff.’
“Which, I’m aware I’m crazy to think that stuff. But that tic just constantly is like kneading at you. It’s never-ending. It’s always just there.”
Teammates and Coaches React
Gonzalez’s teammates and coaches were supportive. Holder Tress Way and long-snapper Tyler Ott admitted they didn’t realize the routine was tied to OCD. “I’m a little embarrassed to say that I didn’t know,” Way said. “He tells me how he wants the ball. I put it down the way it is, and then he stripes it. So I had no idea.”
Head coach Dan Quinn praised Gonzalez’s openness. “I am super happy that he was able to discuss that,” Quinn said. “And if that is a chance for him to assist one other person, I think that takes just a lot of courage and tells you a lot about who he is, not just as a ballplayer but as a man.”
Special teams coach Larry Izzo downplayed the viral moment, focusing on Gonzalez’s performance. “We’re really happy with him,” Izzo said. “He has his processes and everybody is unique. But, yeah, try not to make much of a big deal about it.
“He went out there and made the kick. That’s all that counts.”
Consistency on the Field
Despite joining the Commanders midseason as their fourth kicker of the year, Gonzalez has brought stability to Washington’s special teams. He’s made 5 of 7 field goals and all 19 extra points in six games, helping the team secure its first playoff win since 2005.
As Gonzalez prepares for the divisional round, his story serves as a reminder of the unseen battles many people face—and the strength it takes to overcome them on and off the field.
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This report used information from ESPN.
