Joe Paterno Reaches Out To Criminal Defense Attorney, According To Report

Joe Paterno has not hired a defense attorney, contrary to earlier reports on Thursday. MSNBC has amended its original report and now claims Paterno has reached out to a criminal defense attorney to represent him, but discussions have not progressed any farther. Paterno was ousted as head coach of Penn State on Wednesday night amidst a growing scandal involving former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

The amended report can be found below.

Joe Paterno has reached out to a prominent Washington criminal defense lawyer to represent him in the Penn State sex abuse case, a source close to the case told NBC News.

J. Sedgwick Sollers, who once represented President George H.W. Bush in the Iran-Contra affair, was contacted by Paterno's advisers on Thursday. But Sollers has not yet met with Paterno, and a formal retainer agreement has not been signed.

While Paterno may hire an attorney at some point, likely as a precaution in the event he faces civil action or has to testify in a criminal case. But at this point, only early conversations have taken place, and no agreement has been reached.

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