Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz delivered a profane farewell to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott after the Republican lost his reelection bid, tagging the outgoing governor in a two-word Instagram post.
“Get F***ed,” Schultz wrote Wednesday morning, celebrating Democrat Gina Hinojosa’s victory over Abbott in a state that had not elected a Democratic governor since Ann Richards in the 1990s.
Schultz, 30, followed the message with a show of support for Hinojosa, who will become Texas’ first Latina governor.
The election ended Abbott’s bid for a record fourth term and coincided with another major Democratic victory in Texas, where James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton for a US Senate seat.
🚨WILD: Houston #Texans TE Dalton Schultz WENT OFF on Texas Governor Greg Abbott following Tuesday’s election results.
Schultz took to Instagram and posted a direct message to Abbott:
“Get f*cked @governorabbott.”
Schultz did NOT hold back.
😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/RUhbfVJUc3
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) November 5, 2026
Hinojosa had defeated a governor regarded as one of Trump’s most loyal Republican allies. Democrats also hailed Talarico’s victory as part of a statewide reversal after decades of losses in Texas.
Schultz’s message, however, singled out Abbott personally rather than offering a general endorsement of every Democratic candidate.
For Schultz, the Instagram insult was not his first confrontation with Abbott. In February 2022, the NFL player criticized the governor’s order directing the state’s child welfare agency to classify certain gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors as child abuse.
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“If you think anything about what the POS [Greg Abbott] is doing about Trans kids in Texas is ok or justified, please unfollow me,” Schultz posted on X at the time.
Five months later, he challenged Abbott over a post blaming migrant deaths on then-President Joe Biden. “Never heard of a good leader who points fingers, Greg,” Schultz responded.
The Utah native played college football at Stanford and joined the Texans in 2023, after previously establishing himself in the state. His latest criticism arrived as Abbott faced recriminations from within his own party as well as celebrations from political opponents.
The reversal was especially striking given the president’s earlier support. Abbott had backed Trump closely while in office, and his defeat produced a public shift in the president’s description of him.
President Donald Trump had described Abbott as “strong and highly respected” before Election Day but changed his tone after the loss. He accused his longtime ally of acting like a Republican in name only toward the end of the campaign.
“He went back to his original formula, and it wasn’t pretty!” Trump posted on social media.
Abbott, meanwhile, told supporters that he had called Hinojosa to offer assistance with the transition. “Leading this state has been the greatest honor I’ve ever had,” he remarked while conceding the race.
Schultz was not the only NFL player whose social media activity drew attention after Tuesday’s results.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams reposted TikTok videos celebrating Democratic victories, including Talarico’s win in Texas and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ election as Georgia governor.
One repost showed Bottoms celebrating alongside Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff and former President Barack Obama, with text identifying her as the first Black woman elected governor of a US state. Another featured an aerial view of a large crowd beneath a message celebrating Texas turning blue for the first time in 32 years.
Other reposts visible Thursday included a clip of Ossoff introducing Obama at a Georgia rally and a video featuring Michelle Obama.
The videos did not come from Williams himself, and reposting them was not equivalent to him delivering the statements in the clips. His activity nevertheless drew attention because of the openly celebratory messages attached to the videos.
Becky Hartung drew wider attention to the quarterback’s account by sharing screenshots on X. Hartung described Williams as the people’s quarterback while celebrating his apparent political enthusiasm. Her post had attracted more than 750,000 views by Thursday night.
Caleb Williams libbing out on TikTok—the people’s QB. pic.twitter.com/WbNfcBkzWs
— Becky Hartung (@beckyhartung) November 5, 2026
The reposts followed an election in which Democrats also won Senate races in Ohio, South Carolina and Kansas.
The results prompted political debate about economic concerns and the war in Iran, but Williams did not provide an explanation for which issues mattered most to him.
Williams has previously shown support for Democratic causes. He participated in a Black Lives Matter protest after George Floyd’s death, saying Floyd “could have been [me].” He also called the January 6 Capitol riot an example of “#whiteprivilege.”
More recently, the Bears quarterback attracted criticism after appearing on the sideline in sunglasses during the national anthem, prompting comparisons with protests involving basketball stars.
Those earlier controversies supplied context for the interest in his election-night activity, though his reposts were not accompanied by a new political declaration.
The election results prompted a less partisan message from Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham. Rather than write her own response to the Democrats’ congressional victories, the WNBA player shared an Instagram Story from entrepreneur Andy Frisella about the limits of political change.
Frisella’s post argued that replacing politicians and passing laws could not, by themselves, solve a country’s deeper problems. He urged individuals to hold themselves to higher standards, rather than expecting an election to transform their lives.
Her response contrasted with Schultz’s direct attack on a Republican governor and Williams’s circulation of victory videos. Neither Cunningham’s silence nor her decision to share Frisella’s message established how she voted or what she thought of the election outcome.
Cunningham shared the statement without adding her own commentary, and the post did not name Trump, Democrats or Republicans. Its central argument focused on personal conduct rather than the winners and losers of the midterms.
“Personal excellence is the Ultimate Rebellion,” Frisella’s message concluded.