I’ve been following this Nick Bollea Hogan thing from the start (in fact, an article about Nick was the first thing I wrote for GlossLip), and it never ceases to amaze me how far the Hogan family can go when it comes to their own selfish natures and desire for self-preservation. Before reading this, I encourage you to read this article I wrote a few weeks ago, then hit backspace and come back here. (I do apologize for the length of this piece, but I can’t make the article “jump” twice, and I have a good reason to jump at the end.)
I know that, in my absence, Dawn did an excellent writeup about the Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea interview on Larry King Live, and I am grateful to her for carrying the torch for me last week in this matter. She also posted some video clips, once again illustrating the depths of he and his family’s ignorance of…well, life.
Here are a few choice excerpts from that interview:
H. HOGAN: Well, you know, the tape that you just heard [the one where Nick was complaining to his mother about the size of his cell] was my son, who was — at the time of the accident, he had just turned 17. When he was sentenced, he was still a 17-year-old child, a juvenile, however you would like to, you know, classify him.
For him to walk out of the courtroom on a Friday thinking he was going to probably be following the guidelines of the judge’s sentence, minimum security for eight months — for him to be walked into the mental ward of the jail and be locked in a padded cell, it caught all of us off guard. We had no idea that, you know, there was not adequate housing for a juvenile in an adult prison.
So when he first went in there, it was on a Friday and there was — we panicked because this is — wasn’t what he was sentenced to. So we fought through this weekend and being locked up with no door or a window or no human contact, you know, for a 17-year-old, was tough when you didn’t expect that.
Just for context…Hulk is complaining that his son was basically put into solitary confinement. After all, he’s a celebrity in his own right, not to mention the son of a celeb, and he seriously injured a United States Marine. Plus, he’s a minor in an adult jail. What’s to protect Nick from?
 Hulk also continued to bang his “they were not drag racing” drum:
KING: How did the drag racing occur, though?
Was he given to that? Did you know that he did things like that?
H. HOGAN: Well, he precision drives. That’s what he was doing for his career, the drifting situation. But, you know, the drag racing, we’ve got — as far as the situation legally, we’ve got witnesses that say there was not drag racing.
Funny. That’s not what the witnesses said in the official police report (check page 99 for just one instance of a witness saying they were dragging, use the search function to find more). It’s interesting to note that later in the interview, when Larry reminds Hulk that Hulk believes they were not drag racing, Hulk looks at Larry for a moment like he has no clue what Larry is saying before awkwardly agreeing. Even my kids looked at me and said, “Liar!”
About that report that Hulk bought alcohol that day? Well, as I have reported all along, he was very careful to say that he bought alcohol for the ADULTS in their little boating party, and that Nick did not drink in his presence:
KING: There were reports that you bought alcohol for Nick on the day this happened.
H. HOGAN: No, sir. I did not.
KING: Never happened?
H. HOGAN: No. I bought alcohol and took it out on the boat for the adults. Nick is a minor. Nick does not drink in my presence.
KING: Did you allow him to drink?
H. HOGAN: No, sir.
KING: So all those reports were wrong?
H. HOGAN: No. There’s — there’s been a lot of reckless reporting that isn’t accurate.
Yet, earlier in the interview, Hulk did admit that Nick had alcohol in his system…so he had to have obtained it somewhere. Just because Hulk bought the alcohol for the adults doesn’t mean that the bottles and/or cans automatically becomes impervious to the hands of a minor who wants to drink. Granted, what Nick had in his system wasn’t enough for a DUI charge (he registered .03)…but since Nick is a minor, any amount of alcohol in his system is illegal.  So basically, Hulk is saying that just the reports of him buying alcohol for Nick were inaccurate…he agrees that he bought alcohol, and he never says that Nick could have drank that same alcohol without his knowledge. I’m surprised that Larry didn’t pounce on that…but this isn’t exactly hardball they’re playing.
And just what does Terry think about John Graziano?
KING: What’s the situation now with you and the Graziano family?
What are your thoughts about John?
H. HOGAN: Well, you know, my thoughts haven’t changed. Like I told Debbie Graziano from day one (AUDIO GAP) is for John to say, come on, Hogan, let’s go downstairs and train, is what he would say to me every day.
I mean, you know, like I said, we love John. You know, we pray for him. That’s the last thing I told Nick a few minutes ago, before we got on the air. Nick, make sure you pray for John. I tell him that every day.
We love John and in no way would we ever want to hurt John or the Graziano family. That’s why I’m so upset that, you know, irresponsible media sources have taken, for whatever reason, the legal department of Pinellas County, the sheriff’s department, decided to release these tapes and take short snippets of a conversation and so many irresponsible media sources say they’ve heard conversations with me and my son or my wife and my son. And they haven’t heard a hello. They haven’t heard a goodbye. They haven’t heard an I love you or how are you doing? They haven’t heard, out of the 27 hours, 90 percent of that is me reading my son from positive reinforcement books from [Michael] Beckwith or James Ray or talking about the bible and explaining to my son about forgiveness, for they know not what they do. Forgive, you know, everyone, because, you know, they don’t understand what this is all about, that we have to stop the tragedy now.
Yes, we must stop the tragedy of people exposing the Hogans for what they are. I don’t know how one could put those “snippets of conversation” into any sort of context where they would be positive things, but then I live in the real world.
Terry goes on to say that he has helped Debbie Graziano with her living expenses and given her money, which is admirable of him and something he did not have to do. However, it doesn’t negate the fact that through the selfish actions of Terry and Nick, her son is now in a horrific state from which he will never recover, and just because somebody commits a nice act doesn’t make them a nice person. While it is very possible that Terry genuinely felt sorry for Debbie and wanted to help her, it is also very possible that he was attempting some early damage control.
I would also like to point out at this time that I have no doubt that John was a good friend of the Hogans, and I do not believe that they would purposefully hurt him in any way. That being said…they cannot afford to lose face, money, and fame, even for a friend, and thus the spin begins. Terry even admits that his family is in the entertainment business and this is what they do…act.
As far as the statements go which Nick said John was a “negative person” and that he somehow deserved the accident because of things he did to get himself in that situation? Terry insists he was just trying to keep his son’s spirits up by saying those things:
[HOGAN]:Â As I was going through these motions, I was trying to help give Nick some type of relief, because he is consumed with the unknown, solitary confinement, where nobody ever agreed this would be the punishment to unravel this kid mentally. As I was just digging to try to find a way for my son to get through another day or another hour, you know, I was trying to explain to him that it is in god’s hand or god’s will or it is what people have said for thousands of years.
Did I say thing wrong? Yes.
KING: Are you saying you were in such a situation that things were said that you would never have said normally?
HOGAN: Yes, sir. I said it incorrectly because my son, every could tell, every time I called or every time he would call me, that as the days went by and we couldn’t get him out, especially when the sheriff, the prosecuting attorney, everybody said we want to move him and then there was no movement. We were desperate. I didn’t, even though they were trying to protect him physically because he’s a juvenile in an adult prison, his mental state was unraveling. And I just had no way to help him. I was desperate. And I never meant to hurt John or the Graziano family.
I’m not sure how telling Nick that John somehow deserved these horrific injuries and that God sent this to John is going to raise Nick’s spirits and make him feel better, but I guess in Hoganland that’s a picker-upper sort of statement.
And finally, Hulk knows exactly what God is doing, because he states this is all a big plan to make Nick and John better people, even though John can’t really do much of anything to improve himself at the moment:
HOGAN: Like I said, this is in God’s hand. Things happen for a reason. This is to make Nick a better person. In my belief, this is to make John a better person. It is like I said before, you know, it is god’s will where we’re at with this situation. I refuse to accept any negativity, any nay sayers. I firmly believe there is a plan. It is god’s plan and god’s will.
Of course…because to accept negativity is to accept responsibility. To say this is “God’s will” is to take away any blame or fault of one’s own actions and to claim to know the mind of God. I am a Christian, but I try not to hide behind my beliefs when I screw up, and it’s appalling that the Hogans would attempt to do so with such a conceited statement.
So what does all this say? It says to me that Terry Bollea was in an interview which he knew would be broadcast worldwide, and he was sweating bullets. Basically, I believe Terry would and will say anything to cover his and his son’s behind. He’s got lawsuits coming and he knows he’s got to put as good a spin on this as he can. He’s been in the public eye for a long time and he knows how to work an interview to make himself look as good as possible…he’s attempting to be a face, but in reality he’s just a heel.
Is that a rough thing to say? Well, let’s take a look at what Terry has said in the past about John, Nick, and this whole sordid situation, just to get some perspective.
Here’s one:
TERRY (Hulk Hogan): Well, I don’t know what type of person John was or what he did to get himself in a situation…I know he was pretty aggressive and he used to yell at people and he used to do stuff, and…but some, some, for some reason, man, God laid some heavy sh*t on that kid, man. I don’t know what he was into, I…
NICK:Â John was a negative person.
TERRY:Â He was what?
NICK:Â He was a negative person.
And another:
NICK: Will you work on that real-ality [?] deal… [he pronounces it “real allityâ€]
TERRY:Â Yeah.
NICK: …for me and get that thing lined up, so the minute I walk out of wherever I walk out of, it’s there, boom?
TERRY: Can you do it while you’re on probation?
NICK:Â Yeah, of course.
TERRY: Yeah. Okay…you wanna do it with Pink Snickers [?] or you wanna do it with someone else?
NICK: I wanna do it where I’ll make the most money. […] It’ll be real-ality, how I’m getting back on my feet, and, uh, how I’m recovering after this, celebrity outta jail.
Here’s a court snippet:
“Basically they were trying to put their best foot forward and fake a public image of unity and support for their son,†our insider said. “He [Hulk] is a very astute businessman and very good at playing the media — he even admitted in court that their reality show was scripted and not so real after all.†[…]
“We saw the Ashlee Simpson show and Jessica Simpson’s and Lindsay Lohan on the big screen and we just didn’t haven’t a vehicle to compete,â€Â [Hulk] said. “But I considered it, because this time it was about the Hogan family rather than Hulk Hogan; they all wanted to do it and I tried to warn them about what they were in for. Now look what happened.â€
Here’s one from an interview shortly after the wreck:
“It’s just so unfair,†added Hogan. “Just the way the media jumped on my son and just the way they portrayed him. From my gut, it’s something that has torn two families apart, and we’re just so close to John’s family. “
And finally, Hulk reminds us just what is the most important thing:
“The most important thing to me was from all the eyewitnesses and everyone that was there and saw it was that they were not racing,†the former pro-wrestling superstar told The Insider.
Well, Hulkster. While you and your son whine about the fact that Nick was put in a solitary cell for his own safety, and that his cell didn’t have a window, and that it just had a little bed, John Graziano lies in a cell of your making…he can never get out of bed, but has to stay there forever…his room probably has a window, but he can’t walk over and look out of it. While your son is temporarily housed in a cell, he will eventually walk out the door and leave that cell…John is forever imprisoned in the windowless, doorless cell of his own mind and body.
You keep talking about God, your faith, and forgiveness. I believe in forgiveness as well, Hulk, but I also believe that God wants us to be honest with ourselves. One’s conceited concept of “forgiveness” cannot be used to negate personal responsibility. Your permissive behavior (which you did speak of) planted the seeds in Nick; and Nick himself, making the decision to drag race on the streets, caused the accident which almost ended this young man’s life. While one side of your mouth speaks of forgiveness and God’s will and walking with God, the other side of your mouth and your actions say otherwise. After all, wasn’t it you who said that since John used to “yell at people” and “do stuff”, God did this to John? Let me lay some heavy theology on you, brutha…God gets blamed for a lot of things that turn out to be our fault, since we do have a thing called “free will”.
Don’t get me wrong…I truly believe God does cause some things to happen in our lives to change us, make us better, make us stop and take a good look at ourselves and what we need to change. But for someone to make an unequivocal statement that this is definitely God’s actions in someone else’s life, for someone to automatically assume this is God’s will and God’s work, and especially to use that statement to try and deflect their own accountability in the matter, is dangerous, conceited, selfish and shows an appallingly shallow belief system.
And for your own sake, stop saying that you forgive people because they “know not what they do.” You aren’t Jesus, nobody is crucifying you on a cross for the sins of mankind. These are your own sins you must atone for, and it isn’t anyone’s fault but yours that they are being broadcast in the public eye.
You see, things like “forgiveness” and “atonement” and “responsibility” are just words, unless there is some action put behind them. When I see true acts of forgiveness and atonement and responsibility, to name a few, I’ll be the first one reporting on that favorably. But, all I’ve seen so far is selfishness, self-centered actions, and whining. Hardly the acts of contrite people.
As far as John, his decision to get in Nick’s car, and his not wearing a seat belt at the time of the wreck (because we don’t know if he had it on at the beginning of the drive or not)…absolutely nothing John did or did not do that day negates the responsibility Terry and Nick face in this matter. Had Nick been driving responsibly, there is a very good chance that the wreck would have been a minor fender-bender or not have happened at all. John’s not wearing a seat belt at time of impact has nothing to do with Nick’s reckless driving.
Let’s look at something else Hulk has said:
“[Nick’s] going to be okay. John’s going to be okay, and if things keep going the way they’re going…Nick and I are going to walk John right out of that hospital,†he said.
No, Hulk. You and Nick are not going to walk John out of the hospital, nor is John going to come to you and ask you to go train. Because there has been a video released which shows the extent of John’s injuries, and if you thought the photo I posted a while back was horrific, the video shows much more. I was astounded, saddened, and outraged that this family can act so callously while it was their actions which led to this. There’s no way you can spin this, Hulk, to make yourself and your family appear like anything but out of touch, conceited, pampered, spoiled, selfish jerks.
John hovers in a netherworld of not being alive, yet not being dead, and all the Hogans can do is gripe about Nick’s cell and about the media coverage of them. Think about that for a moment.
And I urge John’s family (and anyone else) not to stoop to the Hogan’s level in this. The Hogans can hang themselves in the media without help, so please…no threatening the Hogans. Violence only begets violence, and no bodily harm against any of the Hogan family will restore John to his former way of life. Boycott “Bubba the Lovesponge” and anything to do with the Hogan family, but do not stoop to their level…rise above it.
The Hogans, all of them, need to shut up and go away for a long, long time. Hulk especially needs to keep quiet, Nick needs to take his punishment like a man (and stop whining about the accommodations), Linda needs to stop acting like a horny, brainless slut, and Brooke needs to both stop acting like she’s a victim in all this and stop talking about how John’s not having his seat belt on at the moment of impact is some sort of divine intervention for her. If they truly feel for John as they claim, then not acting like a bunch of clowns is a good place to start. Just remember all of what this family has said when you see this video.
I AM WARNING YOU NOW, THIS VIDEO IS VERY GRAPHIC AND EXTREMELY UPSETTING. DO NOT CLICK THROUGH IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED OR IF THIS WILL DISTURB YOU. I CANNOT STRESS THAT ENOUGH. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED; DO NOT COMMENT ON THE GRAPHIC NATURE OF THE VIDEO AS IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN.
Once again, let me remind you of what Terry Bollea and his son said about John:
Well, I don’t know what type of person John was or what he did to get himself in a situation…I know he was pretty aggressive and he used to yell at people and he used to do stuff, and…but some, some, for some reason, man, God laid some heavy sh*t on that kid, man.
“You can replace cars, but there’s only one you, and I can never replace you.â€Â ~~k’s dad
But wait, there’s more…
Oh Jon, really? The Mercedes Polo challenge? Talk about being out of your league. Don’t you know if you put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig?
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