UPDATED May 21.
Texas teacher and wrestling coach William “Billy” Durning is under investigation for sexually grooming female athletes during his many years coaching in public schools and private sports clubs.
Durning most recently worked as a teacher and coach at The Woodlands High School in the Conroe Independent School District.
A district spokesman confirmed to Texas Scorecard that Durning no longer works for Conroe ISD and that an investigation into allegations against the coach is ongoing.
“Conroe ISD does not comment on personnel matters. However, we can confirm that Mr. Durning is no longer employed by the District,” stated Andrew Stewart, the district’s communications director. “We are actively cooperating with and supporting the ongoing investigation by law enforcement.”
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority,” added Stewart.
On April 29, a female wrestler who was coached by Durning posted on Instagram that he had tried to groom her. The girl’s post included several “weird” messages he had sent her.
“Grooming is a manipulative process where a perpetrator builds trust and an emotional connection with a child, or young adult, to groom, isolate, and coerce them into abuse or exploitation,” she wrote. “It involves desensitizing the victim through secrecy, gifts, and normalized physical contact, often occurring both in-person and online.”
Houston trial attorney Tony Buzbee announced Saturday that his firm is representing 10 young women Durning allegedly groomed, harassed, and sexually exploited while he was their coach.
Buzbee said Durning had recently resigned from The Woodlands High School and is being investigated by the Conroe ISD Police Department. The attorney’s investigation goes beyond a single school district.
“Hundreds of young women are likely involved,” said Buzbee in a social media post. “The conduct alleged is egregious. Every boundary that should exist between Coach and student has been crossed.”
Buzbee said his firm believes Durning has been grooming girls for more than 10 years.
“We intend to put an end to it,” said Buzbee.
We believe there are reams of video and photographic evidence. We know that the coach collected hundreds of intimate videos of the women he coached. We have attached a small sample of the sexually charged text communications between Coach Durning and some of the young women he has coached.
Durning has taught and coached in multiple districts across the state since receiving a Texas teaching certificate for social studies in 2007.
Various sources cite Durning working at The Woodlands College Park High School in Conroe ISD, then in Houston ISD for several years and Cypress-Fairbanks ISD for three years starting in 2016. He switched to Katy ISD for four years, then spent another two years coaching in Cy-Fair ISD before returning to Conroe ISD in 2025.
Durning was named an Assistant Coach of the Year by the Texas High School Wrestling Coaches Association (THSWCA) and the University Interscholastic League (UIL), which oversees school sports competitions.
In addition to coaching in Texas public schools, Durning trained young wrestlers at private sports clubs throughout the state.
Buzbee also named USA Wrestling and the U.S. Center for SafeSport as targets of his investigation.
USA Wrestling lists more than 250 chartered clubs in Texas and promotes an affiliation with SafeSport.
SafeSport is a nationwide nonprofit focused on preventing abuse in sports.
Texas Scorecard has contacted both SafeSport and the state director for USA Wrestling for comment.
SafeSport responded Tuesday, stating “The Center does not comment on specific cases to maintain the integrity of the investigative process.”
USA Wrestling responded Thursday, confirming that Durning purchased a coach membership for the 2025-26 year ending August 31, which requires passing a background check and completing a SafeSport training course.
A spokesman said USA Wrestling is “aware of the matter” and that SafeSport is the entity authorized to investigate and determine whether sanctions are warranted. “When USA Wrestling becomes aware of a credible allegation of abuse or misconduct, we promptly report it to appropriate law enforcement and to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, as required, and allow for due process.”
Also on Thursday, Buzbee released statements from two young women who allege Durning sexually groomed and exploited them starting while they were underage students of his. Both claim other coaches knew about his behavior but failed to report it to authorities.
Victims of Durning’s alleged sexual misconduct are encouraged to contact law enforcement. Buzbee also invited any victims or witnesses to contact his firm confidentially.
Buzbee recently filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against now-former Rockport-Fulton ISD teacher Josh Nguyen, who is charged with raping a female student.
In just the past few years, hundreds of Texas school employees have been accused of sex crimes involving students and other children.
Thousands of Texas educators have been reported to the Texas Education Agency for sexual misconduct.
The TEA’s Educator Misconduct Reporting Dashboard shows that the agency has received more than 13,000 complaints and 17,000 criminal history alerts since September 1.
