I'm clearly missing a great deal of funny, but the omitted line from that column was:
"But George has done a tremendous job and I'm very happy for him."
This was all part of what was an interesting 11 minutes of Belichick in front of cameras:
I've been coming to the combine since the mid-90s, and it's the first time I remember Belichick meeting with reporters.
He started with an 11-minute opening statement that included everything from nostalgic combine memories to his new tight ends coach.
Belichick marveled at how the combine had changed since the 1980s, when part of it was held in Tempe. "I remember being at Arizona State as it was getting dark, watching the 'Fridge' do his vertical jump," said Belichick, referring to Bears defensive lineman William "Refrigerator" Perry. "That was quite a sight to see."
http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/KentSomers/46792
"I remember I was this close to firing him," said Belichick, holding his thumb and index finger an inch apart. "One of the jobs when he was first there, was driving guys to the airport, and he got into an accident. And, I wasn't too happy about that. But George has done a tremendous job and I'm very happy for him."
Kokinis, who was inside Lucas Oil Stadium watching running backs, wide receivers and quarterbacks work out, was not available to give his version of the crash story.
Incidentally, Belichick named almost everyone on that amazing Browns staff in the early 1990s -- except for new Browns coach Eric Mangini, who was one of his proteges. Belichick and Mangini have been estranged since Mangini left New England to take the Jets head coaching job and then blew the whistle on the Pats for taping the Jets' defensive signals.
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/...ne_insider.html
Beanpot