McNair: Reggie Bush Pick Not a Lock
Texans owner says no guarantee made to USC coach

By JOHN MCCLAIN
Houston Chronicle

Owner Bob McNair denied an ESPN report Sunday that he told Southern California coach Pete Carroll that the Texans would select running back Reggie Bush if he left the Trojans after his junior year.

The report said that after University of Texas quarterback Vince Young's performance in the Rose Bowl, Carroll called McNair to get assurances that the owner would make Reggie Bush the first pick in the draft.

"Pete Carroll did call me, but he talked to me about Reggie Bush and never asked if we were going to take him, and if he had I wouldn't have told him that because we haven't even hired our coach," McNair said Sunday.

The Texans will hire Denver offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak as soon as the Broncos' season is over. Denver hosts Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.

"We don't know who we're going to draft right now," McNair said. "After we hire our coach, the evaluation process will still have a long way to go. We want to pick the player we feel will give us the best chance to win."

Reggie Bush 's advisers had disclosed several weeks before the Rose Bowl that he would leave after his junior year.

The Texans had planned to take Reggie Bush, but when Young entered the draft, they were forced to re-evaluate.

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