NFL
Commanders kicker Zane Gonzalez sheds light on OCD after game-winning field goal
The Commanders beat the Buccaneers on a late field goal by Zane Gonzalez, whose pre-kick ritual had some wondering what was going on in his head.
The Washington Commanders won their Wild Card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by the skin of their teeth. Or, more accurately, by the foot of their kicker, Zane Gonzalez.
In the final seconds of the 20-20 tied game, Gonzalez kicked a 37-yard field goal that doinked off the upright before soaring through the goal posts to put the score at 23-20 just as time expired, and the Commanders won their first playoff game since 2005.
Zane Gonzalez’s pre-kick behaviors a part of living with OCD
Before the fateful kick, Gonzalez could be seen adjusting his sock and his shoe several times as well as his hair and his helmet. For those unfamiliar with a disorder called OCD, Gonzalez’s behavior may have seemed odd, but for those who live with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, they would have recognized what was happening right away.
Gonzalez, on national television, shed some light on what it looks like to live with OCD. Although the pressure of having to kick the game-winning field goal in an NFL playoff game would have anyone nervous, for someone with OCD, that kind of pressure can be a trigger.
OCD can make even the seemingly simplest of tasks quite difficult, so stressful situations can become even more complicated. Fortunately, Gonzalez has learned how to manage his disorder in order to not let it consume him. Not only that, but Gonzalez has been quite open about his OCD, which was apparent in this sequence of events.
Even back in his rookie season in 2017, Gonzalez spoke openly as an advocate of those living with OCD. In an interview with ESPN at the time, he spoke about what it’s like, and how he manages the symptoms. He said it makes him “a perfectionist and more detail-oriented”, but said that when he’s not playing, it’s “a pain in the butt”.
“I just get a couple of practice kicks, a couple of leg swings, and then I cross myself,” Gonzalez explained.
Despite being triggered ahead of the kick, Gonzalez was able to manage his OCD and get the job done, taking the Commanders to their first playoff victory in 19 years and serving as an inspiration to all those struggling with mental health issues.
The Commanders will take on the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Saturday, January 18 at 8:15 p.m. ET in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. You can follow along with our live text coverage of the game right here on AS USA.
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