BEREA, Ohio (AP) -The Cleveland Browns are currently without a general manager after George Kokinis left the club under unexplained circumstances.

After reports surfaced that Kokinis was fired, the team issued an awkwardly worded statement Monday night saying the GM ``is no longer actively involved with the organization.'' The Browns also denied reports that Kokinis was escorted from their team headquarters.

Kokinis' apparent ouster came one day after owner Randy Lerner said he wanted to hire a ``strong, credible, serious'' football adviser to help run his struggling team, which is off to a 1-7 start. Kokinis was hired on Jan. 23, two weeks after the Browns named Eric Mangini as their fourth coach since 1999.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.