Washington Commanders’ kicker Zane Gonzalez became a central figure in the team’s 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Sunday’s NFC Wild Card playoff game.
Gonzalez, whose full name is Zane Holden Fortunato Gonzalez, was a perfect 3-3 in Field Goals during the game, with a long of 52 yards.
Despite being out of the NFL for three seasons before joining Washington late in the 2024 season, the 29-year-old kicker was placed in a high-pressure situation and asked to hit a 37-yarder as time expired.
The attempt “doinked” off the right upright and went through, securing the Commanders’ first playoff win since 2005. A hero was born.
But that’s surprisingly not why people were talking about him. Instead, it was what he did before the kick that has people talking.
@Commanders WIN in the last seconds of of the game with a Zane Gonzalez 37 yard FG! 23-20 and end an almost 20 year streak without a playoff win! This is how it sounded in Español. @elPoderosoDC #RaiseHail #NFL pic.twitter.com/ZDHffPLmFM
— Moises Linares (@MlinaresDC) January 13, 2025
Zane Gonzalez Goes Viral
You’d think the fact that he hit a game-winning field goal for a team suffering from a long playoff drought in dramatic fashion would have been enough to propel Zane Gonzalez to viral status.
But no, it was his pre-kick routine that had everybody talking.
Video on social media showed the Commanders kicker fidgeting with his hair for what seemed like an eternity before putting his helmet on.
In fact, you’ll see him almost put the helmet on several times throughout and still choose to fix his hair even though its incredibly short and stays relatively motionless. This isn’t Travis Kelce’s wispy Uncle Rico cut we’re talking about here.
LOOK AT ZANE GONZALEZ LMAOOO
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) January 13, 2025
No wonder he almost missed ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ pic.twitter.com/Cawl6OkwAN
Medically Diagnosed Reason
It turns out there is a medically diagnosed reason for Zane Gonzalez’s behavior before the kick, and it’s an extreme condition he’s been pretty open about.
Gonzalez has been dealing with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, otherwise known as OCD, since he was a kid.
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
“It affected me a lot more as a young kid. … It’s just little thoughts, little funny habits that I do,” he told the Charlotte Observer in 2021 when he played for the Panthers.
“Specifically, sometimes I rinse my hands before kicks,” he added. “And I was kind of curious about that. But that’s one of the most common things that people with OCD do. It instantly makes you just feel relieved. I don’t know why, if it’s just a placebo effect.”
“It’s not something I love having. But it just is what it is, and I’ve learned to deal with it.”
He just delivered the Commanders a historic win, where they will now go and face the heavily favored NFC North champion Detroit Lions.
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