All eyes were on Washington Commanders kick Zane Gonzalez last Sunday. Gonzalez took the field in the final seconds of the Commanders-Buccaneers wild-card game.
With the score tied 20-20, Gonzalez was one made kick away from bringing the Commanders their first playoff victory in nearly 20 years.
As Gonzalez walked onto the field for that massive kick, many viewers noticed Gonzalez adjusting his sock and fixing his hair multiple times. Though many attributed Gonzalez doing those adjustments out of nerves or superstition before one of the biggest kicks of his career, he actually did them because he has obsessive-compulsive disorder, which the Mayo Clinic describes as unwanted thoughts, fears, or obsessions resulting in repeated behaviors.
Zane Gonzalez has long struggled in his battle with OCD. Since he was a freshman at Arizona State, he has been public about coping with it.
— Kicks (@kicks) January 13, 2025
Tonight, the world was introduced to his tick of him constantly fixing his hair… all that matters is the doink that sends the Commanders… pic.twitter.com/sdO7r890zi
When he doinked in the kick that sent the Commanders into the divisional round, he used the newfound spotlight as a chance to speak openly about his OCD.
"I would say it's gotten easier to deal with,” Gonzalez told reporters after the win. “I’m more mature. I've grown up. I used to be a little more self-conscious, not as confident as a person.”
“It's not nervous, it's just a tic type of deal. As a younger person you try to hide that a little bit. But [being] older, being a professional athlete, it's like, 'Hey, I'm here, I'm in the big moment, big stage, do what you do, make the kick.'”
Washington Commanders kicker Zane Gonzalez welcomes his viral moment as a chance to educate about OCD. pic.twitter.com/Fx9qmRXCgL
— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) January 16, 2025
"Anybody that has OCD understands that mental battle is not easy," Gonzalez said. "You truly think it is at the end of the road or whatever that situation is that you're going through that you think the worst possible situation to come out of it, even if it is the most unrealistic thing ever."
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn praised Gonzalez on Thursday for his openness about the subject. “I am super happy that he was able to discuss that," Quinn said. "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."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Commanders Kicker Zane Gonzalez Using Viral Moment to Promote Awareness of OCD.
