BEREA, Ohio— The Cleveland Browns invisible general manager has disappeared.

George Kokinis, the hand-picked GM of first-year coach Eric Mangini who was rarely seen or heard in Cleveland, left the team Monday under unexplained circumstances after less than one year on the job.

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

Kokinis' apparent ouster came one day after Browns owner Randy Lerner said he wanted to hire a "strong, credible, serious" football adviser to help run his struggling 1-7 team. Kokinis was hired on Jan. 23, two weeks after the Browns named Mangini as their fourth coach since 1999.

But the Mangini-Kokinis team has been broken up, forcing Lerner to look quickly for help. One possibility could be Ernie Accorsi, who was Cleveland's GM from 1985-92, when the Browns went to three AFC title games with Bernie Kosar at quarterback.

Kosar was recently brought in by Lerner to serve in an unspecified consulting role. Accorsi could take over the vacant GM position and serve as a mentor until Kosar is ready. Accorsi was the New York Giants' GM for nine years before retiring after the 2006 season. His biggest move was a trade with San Diego for quarterback Eli Manning.

Mangini said he would welcome anyone who could help the Browns get better.

"If you can add quality people that can help you get better, then you do that," he said. "You're always searching for those opportunities."

The Browns said they would withhold further comment of Kokinis' situation "in the interest of protecting the parties involved."

Citing unnamed team and league sources, ESPN.com reported that Kokinis refused to resign when pressed by Lerner, who then persisted in seeking a dismissal "for cause." The report said the team's security and legal department were reviewing phone records to build its case against Kokinis.