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Commanders' Zane Gonzalez on his OCD after game-winning kick: 'It’s who I am, and it’s what I go through'

Gonzalez's 37-yard field goal propelled the Commanders past the Buccaneers and into the divisional round against the Lions

sean leahy
Contributing writer
·3 min read

As Washington Commanders kicker Zane Gonzalez was walking onto the field at Raymond James Stadium to attempt a game-winning kick, his obsessive-compulsive disorder was on display to a national television audience.

The 29-year-old Gonzalez, who is on his sixth NFL team, alternated between fixing his hair and tapping his helmet to his head. Minutes before he kicked a 37-yard field goal to send the Commanders to the divisional round against the Detroit Lions, he repeatedly took off his cleats, adjusted his socks and put his cleats back on.

Many watching the game at home chalked it up to superstition or routine — something we see with many athletes. But this was more than that from the Commanders' kicker.

“If anything, it makes my wife and family more upset than it does with me,” Gonzalez said of the attention via Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. “I’m used to it. … Everybody that’s known or seen me kick has seen me do it millions of times. Being on such a big stage on Sunday night, a game-winner, it draws a little bit more attention, I’ve learned. It’s who I am, and it’s what I go through, and I, above everybody else, realize how crazy it looks doing it. I’m aware. But at the same time, you can’t help it.”

Gonzalez, who learned of his OCD when he was a child, has been public about his condition since his freshman year at Arizona State University. He told ESPN during his first NFL season in 2017, "It makes you a perfectionist and more detail oriented. Off the field, it's a pain in the butt."

While it's something that affects his life on and off the football field — like having to touch the bottom of cups he uses, for example — Gonzalez had adjusted his daily life to deal with his OCD and make it part of his preparation for games and kicks.

“There’s a few things I try to do to keep it as under-the-radar as I can, just understanding, get it done and whatever gets me mentally ready to go on the field, do that,” Gonzalez said. “The helmet thing is literally the last thing I do.”

Prior to this season, Gonzalez hadn't kicked in the NFL since he was with the Carolina Panthers in 2021. He re-aggravated a quad injury, which kept him out of the 2022 NFL season. He was then traded to the San Francisco 49ers in March 2023 and an injury kept him off the field again.

Zane Gonzalez and the Washington Commanders will meet the Detroit Lions in the NFL Division Round on Saturday night. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Zane Gonzalez and the Washington Commanders will meet the Detroit Lions in the NFL divisional round on Saturday night. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

The Commanders signed Gonzalez to their practice squad on Nov. 8 and he later took over the starting duties after Austin Seibert was placed on injured reserve with a hip injury. He is one of seven kickers to be signed by the team since March and one of four who has attempted a field goal for them this season.

Gonzalez was 5-for-7 on field goals and 19-for-19 on extra points in the regular season with the Commanders and he kicked three field goals in the win over the Buccaneers.

In a season where he worked out for eight teams before signing with the Commanders, Gonzalez is now experiencing hero status in Washington with the team two wins away from playing for a Super Bowl.

"It’s a journeyman lifestyle," Gonzalez said. "It is tough, but at the end of the day, I’m doing what I love to do."