Paterno hires criminal defense lawyer, source tells NBC News

[The Straight Story]

Paterno hires criminal defense lawyer, source tells NBC News

NBC News National Investigative Correspondent

Joe Paterno has hired 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 hired by Paterno on Thursday. The longtime Penn State football coach was fired Wednesday night after disclosures in a grand jury report that one of his assistants informed him in 2002 about an alleged incident of sexual abuse by former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

Paterno has not been charged with any crimes in the case. He has been described as a cooperating witness in the case. Two other university officials who Paterno told about the incident were charged this week with failing to report Sandusky's conduct to legal authorities and perjury.

Sollers declined to comment Thursday night. He is the managing partner in the Washington office of King @ Spalding, a major Atlanta-based law firm.

http://openchannel.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/10/8742718-paterno-hires-criminal-defense-lawyer-source-tells-nbc-news