Browns Reportedly Fire Kokinis

by gahnki on Nov 2, 2009 8:05 PM EST

BEREA, Ohio -- Browns general manager George Kokinis was escorted out of the Browns facility in Berea by security, two league sources told the Plain Dealer, and is believed to have been fired.

The Browns did not immediately return calls or emails, including an email to owner Randy Lerner.

Kokinis was handpicked by Browns coach Eric Mangini to be his general manager, but was barely heard from after his hiring in January. Both began their careers in Cleveland as underlings to Bill Belichick in the early 1990s.
One league source said "Kokinis is a great guy who does not deserve this. He is taking the fall for the team's problems and it's not right.''

Browns owner Randy Lerner spent considerable time following Sunday's 30-6 loss to the Bears on Sunday talking one-on-one with Dawn Aponte, Vice President, Football Administration, who was under Kokinis' jurisdiction in the football operations department.

You know, because it's clearly his fault that the Browns are 1-7. His 6 Months on the job dismantled the Super Bowl caliber team we call the Cleveland Browns.

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Comments

I admit — I did not see that coming.

by DisplacedBuckeye on Nov 2, 2009 8:09 PM EST reply actions

Me neither. Apparently Mike Lombardi was on the radio and said Kokinis had been doing nothing, it was completely Mangini’s show.

by Roger Dorn on Nov 2, 2009 8:11 PM EST up reply actions

On NFLN Lombardi not only said that he had done nothing, but had also been unaware of the Edwards trade. Is that even possible? As the GM wouldn’t he have to sign a piece of paper to consummate that deal?

If he had in fact been doing nothing, though, then he should have been fired. It’s a business, not a charity event.

by JustBob on Nov 2, 2009 8:14 PM EST up reply actions

Agree. Also places a lot more pressure on Mangini. I don’t really understand how anyone thought that kind of organizational structure is a good idea or allowed it to happen.

by Roger Dorn on Nov 2, 2009 8:19 PM EST up reply actions

I see this as a restoration of checks and balances. I mean, really, the subordinate hires his boss? C’mon.

by kennesawmountainwahoo on Nov 2, 2009 8:23 PM EST up reply actions

Happens in a lot of places. I really don’t see the point of firing him after 6 months. Wouldn’t Lerner, you know, ask what the distribution of responsibility would be when he interviewed him?

Especially since he hired Mangini before Kokinis. Isn’t this exactly what he wanted?

by gahnki on Nov 2, 2009 8:23 PM EST up reply actions

i also heard that he was not aware of the edwards trade.

by emily522 on Nov 2, 2009 8:22 PM EST up reply actions

That’s really bad. How can he not know.

by skipkirk on Nov 2, 2009 8:33 PM EST up reply actions

idk. that could be made up, though.

by emily522 on Nov 2, 2009 8:36 PM EST up reply actions

not disputing this info, it just seems nearly impossible that he wouldn’t know about trading their #1 WR. that seem too bizarre and unbelievable.

by Dawg Nuts on Nov 2, 2009 8:36 PM EST up reply actions

maybe they mean that he did not have any input?

by emily522 on Nov 2, 2009 8:37 PM EST up reply actions

could be, but JustBob said the guy on NFLN used the word “unaware”. if so, that’s not good. at all.

by Dawg Nuts on Nov 2, 2009 8:44 PM EST up reply actions

agreed.

by emily522 on Nov 2, 2009 8:47 PM EST up reply actions

Nor did I. This is completely meaningless; Kokinis was always a figurehead meant to legitimize Mangini’s decisions anyway. So I guess it makes sense for him to be the first fall guy. I do feel bad for the guy, though; it doesn’t seem like he deserves this.

by jdudas on Nov 2, 2009 8:12 PM EST up reply actions

Kokhinis is the only one doing his job. Daboll should go, followed by Mangini, then possibly Kotnkus (sp)

by TheRealSlimShady on Nov 2, 2009 8:16 PM EST reply actions

I find it sad that the man didn’t last long enough for people to learn how to spell his name.

by golanbatrac on Nov 2, 2009 8:22 PM EST up reply actions

old, running joke.

by Dawg Nuts on Nov 2, 2009 8:34 PM EST up reply actions

Fill me in.

by golanbatrac on Nov 2, 2009 8:36 PM EST up reply actions

when he was first hired, there was some confusion about how it was spelled and it just kind of turned into an ongoing joke where everyone would intentionally misspell it and act like they didn’t know how. hence kotknus(sp).

by Dawg Nuts on Nov 2, 2009 8:39 PM EST up reply actions

Got it. Thanks.

by golanbatrac on Nov 2, 2009 8:44 PM EST up reply actions

No one could spell the man’s name right on Cleveland.com when he was hired. We mock Cleveland.com.

by gahnki on Nov 2, 2009 8:39 PM EST up reply actions

Thanks for the explanation.

by golanbatrac on Nov 2, 2009 8:44 PM EST up reply actions

PLEASE LET DABOLL BE NEXT! LERNER YOU’RE SO CLOSE MINDED!

PLEASE DON’T FIRE THE WRONG PEOPLE FOR THE WRONG REASONS!

by SpecialBrownie on Nov 2, 2009 8:17 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

this doesn’t change the team at all. this seems like a pointless firing to appease the mob. how does this make us field a more competitive football team on sundays? unless kotknus(sp) was calling the plays into daboll, which he wasn’t.

by Dawg Nuts on Nov 2, 2009 8:18 PM EST reply actions

Maybe Lerner asked him his strategy to pull us out of the slump and he had no answer.

I could agree to that.

by SpecialBrownie on Nov 2, 2009 8:21 PM EST reply actions

I honestly won’t have a solid argument or idea until I read Chris’s article on this.

by SpecialBrownie on Nov 2, 2009 8:25 PM EST reply actions

So… What exactly do you do here, George…?

by golanbatrac on Nov 2, 2009 8:27 PM EST reply actions 6 recs

I love that movie.

Will he take DA out in a meadow and beat him with a bat?

by SpecialBrownie on Nov 2, 2009 8:31 PM EST up reply actions

by SpecialBrownie on Nov 2, 2009 8:48 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

outstanding. rec.

by Dawg Nuts on Nov 2, 2009 8:33 PM EST up reply actions

High-lair-e-yus

"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge..." C. Darwin

by Spidey on Nov 2, 2009 8:41 PM EST up reply actions

This is a bogus Firing...

Kokinis is just a fallback guy for the browns real problems..Mangini should be the one getting his walking papers..not kokinis.

by TonyO on Nov 2, 2009 8:31 PM EST reply actions

This is just Lerner saying that Mangini will be gone at the end of the season. There is no point in firing the head coach now. I’m fine with this.

by oxforddave on Nov 2, 2009 8:34 PM EST reply actions

what makes you think that?

by Dawg Nuts on Nov 2, 2009 8:40 PM EST up reply actions

I disagree, I think it makes it more likely Mangini keeps his job.

by Cols714 on Nov 2, 2009 8:41 PM EST up reply actions

Wow
Didn’t see that coming at all. If he really had no power, he was pretty stupid to take the job. Maybe this is the only way that Mangini keeps his job.

by Cols714 on Nov 2, 2009 8:40 PM EST reply actions