Penn State University's Joe Paterno has called in McGinn & Company, formerly TMG Strategies, as the academic institution and revered coach reel from a child sex abuse scandal centered on a former football coach. [Update: Paterno and Penn St. president Graham Spanier were bounced Wednesday night.]

Paterno
Paterno in '69
Photo: Penn St.
The firm, representing the Paterno family, is led by PR veteran Dan McGinn and has counseled clients like General Motors, Texaco and 3M, specializing in crisis, environmental disasters, and litigation issues.

Paterno said today he will retire at the end of this season after 61 years, following the abuse scandal that broke this week alleging a former assistant of Paterno’s, Jerry Sandusky, sexually assaulted at least eight young boys. 

“At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status,” Paterno said in a statement issued via McGinn today. “They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can.”

McGinn co-founded Ryan-McGinn in 1987 after working on Capitol Hill and sold it to Interpublic in 1998. He started The McGinn Group a few years later.

The firm was acquired by Publicis’ MS&L in 2007 but became independent again on Oct. 1 of this year.

McGinn VP Michael Clements has a master's degree in journalism from Penn State.

(Updated @ 3:28PM)