William “Billy” Durning, a high-profile girls wrestling coach at The Woodlands High School, abruptly resigned this month after a wave of explosive allegations from current and former athletes. The accusations, which include claims of grooming and sexually explicit communications with students, have triggered both a criminal investigation and a separate civil inquiry, rattling parents and athletes throughout The Woodlands wrestling community.
Conroe Independent School District has confirmed that Durning “is no longer employed” and said it is working with law enforcement, according to the Houston Chronicle. The Chronicle reports that Cy-Fair police have opened an investigation into Durning and that the district emphasized student safety as its top priority. Durning had been a well-known figure in Texas high school wrestling, credited with coaching multiple state champions and earning coaching honors.
Most recently, Durning is listed as the coach of Claire Guydon, who won the UIL 6A girls 155-pound state title in 2026, according to official results from the University Interscholastic League. That championship further elevated Durning’s standing in the region and has only intensified scrutiny of the allegations.
Houston attorney Tony Buzbee’s firm has launched its own investigation, and Buzbee told the Chronicle his team has “collected hundreds of intimate videos” of women Durning coached and that he has been in contact with 17 current or former students. Buzbee’s public post also stated that his inquiry would look at USA Wrestling and the U.S. Center for SafeSport, signaling potential organizational as well as civil angles. None of these claims have been tested in court, and no criminal charges have been publicly announced.
The U.S. Center for SafeSport is an independent body that centralizes reports of sexual misconduct in amateur sports and can issue sanctions that are separate from any criminal case, including provisional suspensions or lifetime bans, according to the U.S. Center for SafeSport. National governing bodies and member clubs are generally required under federal law to report certain allegations to the Center, whose process runs in parallel with any police investigation. As a result, an athlete or coach can face sport-level penalties even if prosecutors decline to file criminal charges.
Legal Implications for Alleged Grooming
Texas criminal law includes a specific child grooming offense and related statutes that address online solicitation. Conduct that persuades or entices a person under 18 into sexual activity can be charged under Texas Penal Code §15.032, which treats grooming as a felony in many circumstances, according to the Texas Penal Code. Depending on what investigators uncover, prosecutors may also weigh overlapping offenses such as online solicitation under §33.021.
School employees in Texas are mandatory reporters under state guidance, and the Texas Education Agency instructs districts to report suspected abuse or neglect to law enforcement or the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services within required timeframes, per the Texas Education Agency. Those rules are designed to keep allegations from quietly disappearing inside campus walls.
What Comes Next
Both the law enforcement investigation and the private inquiry by Buzbee’s firm remain active, and the firm has said it will continue following new leads. Parents and former athletes with concerns are typically advised to report possible abuse to local police or the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, and to contact the U.S. Center for SafeSport for sport-specific complaints.
For now, public records, official filings, and court dockets will be the main way the community can track whether civil lawsuits or criminal charges emerge from the turmoil surrounding The Woodlands wrestling program.
