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Friday, May 30, 2008

Nick Hogan's Jail Tapes

WAY back when The Rundown was a hand-coded blog on Fear the Outside (the GeoCities days), I sometimes covered professional wrestling (rasslin' is the technical term). Partly because it was such a big part of my childhood (you know, for a year or two) and also because pro-rasslin is indisputably a part of pop-culture. And the Thing was a pro-rassler, lest we forget (I think She-Hulk was too).

I have brought you a story here and there - specifically the Chris Benoit saga - but I'm not much of a sports guy and I don't think most of you are either. Still, Hulk Hogan - and now his family - straddle the pop-culture spectrum. "Hulkamania" was as big a part of the 1980s as comics (bigger, really), which eventually eclipsed wrestling's own popularity, and their recent reality show somewhat revived his celebrity status.

Not long ago, his son, Nick Hogan, was involved in a DUI which left the passenger, John Graziano, bed-ridden and crippled for the rest of his life - he is now in a permanent, vegetative state. Hogan received all of eight months in jail... and now tapes have surfaced, wherein he and his mother complain that he is being unfairly treated because of the size of his cell and the lack of windows!

Further, Nick and his father have the nerve to blame the victim! In essence, they lay the blame on the victim for being "negative" and suggest that this tragedy is the result of Divine intervention!

Now, I know I go on and on about the Blame the Victim mentality so prevalent in modern America - and I'm right about all of it - but while that aspect angers me, it barely scratches the surface of this situation.

Linda Hogan states that John Graziano's mother is angry - not sad - because she just wants the money. The mother then goes on to say that she is the one who is suffering, because she was closer to Nick and John than Graziano's own parents! And while a lot of the coverage does seem to support this rather twisted logic, insofar as the actual statement goes (meaning that, by all accounts, Graziano's relationship with his parents was strained), and I can buy that she liked the guy and misses the boy she knew, it's hard to tell if her statements were taken out of context or if she's just that oblivious to her and her family's own insensitivity.

At any rate, these tapes prove that the Hogan family is nothing but a collection of utter douchebags who have the unmitigated arrogance to try and turn this tragedy into yet another money-making opportunity! The tapes include a conversation between father and son, where Nick instructs him to go ahead and make the deal for a new reality show based on Nick's "ordeal." At no point do any of the Hogans ever once express even the slightest amount of remorse, regret, or responsibility for what they have collectively done to an innocent - regardless of however "negative" - young man.

Even worse, a lot of the commenters on the stories and articles you'll find online relating to this story actually have the misguided nerve to blame the victim, not only for getting into the car, but for not wearing his seatbelt!

Look, you ignorant mini-douches: I don't give a damn what you think - no one deserves to be crippled for life because they didn't wear their seatbelt! Except maybe for those of you who think that way. Celebrities are sometimes treated unfairly - made examples of by corrupt and overzealous prosecutors and so forth - but they are not above the law and when they are solely to blame, they should solely be held responsible!

This entire story is a tragedy, but these recent developments disturb me on so many levels...

The Hogan family douche kit should go away forever.

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Edited 07-09-09
  • Changed WAV file link
  • Added link to GeoCities post (explains change)
  • Minor editorial change in text
  • Added "Legal" tag

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree with you 110%. Fuck these spoiled redneck assholes and I hope Nick gets fucked in the ass in county jail!

Manodogs said...

You know, things happen and people go through things and so on - I get all this and I don't hold that against the Hogans anymore than I do or would anyone else - but these tapes prove that this whole family has no moral compass, whatsoever.

Had this little douchebag stood up and said, "I was drinking, I was driving, I am mortified by what happened to my friend and I am paying for it - piss off!" I would have written an entire post about how much I agree with him!

But to hear these cats, sitting around, complaining about the size of his cell and how the poor Graziano kid "got what was coming to him" because God didn't like him, etc., etc...

I just - it's like... my chin's bruised from where my jaw hit the floor!

Manodogs said...

A judge turned down Nick Hogan's request to be let out of solitary confinement and ruled that he will spend the entirety of his eight-month sentence sequestered from the general population, as he is a minor who was convicted as an adult.

While this is kinda harsh - being isolated 24/7 and all - I don't know if he has TV, books, radio, etc., so it isn't quite as bad as it first sounds.

Being the object of a prison gangbang sounds slightly worse.

To me.

Manodogs said...

Nick Hogan was moved to a cell with two other minor inmates. The report said the jail is always reviewing inmates' arrangements as the population is constantly changing.

And it just wasn't right that little Mr. Moneybags couldn't party.

Manodogs said...

Nick is suing the police department for recording and releasing the tapes in question.

In the suit, filed earlier this week, Nick (Bolleas) says the police department "singled him out" by releasing the tapes to the media.

I'm not sure how this will go, but I do wonder if the Hogans have considered that their "negative attitude" might have caused all this?

Manodogs said...

Here are pics of Nick's original cell (allegedly), however news reports about his new one indicate he and his fellow juvenile-delinquent cellmates have TV, access to books, and more.

Manodogs said...

The Superficial reports Linda Hogan wants Hulk Hogan jailed for not paying his part of some rent or something! WTF is really wrong with these people!? Because whatever it is, it has to be clinical!

This dumb bitch tells her son he got "more than he deserved" for basically killing a guy, the turns around and requests her ex-husband be put behind bars for not paying rent!

These people are off the charts.

To all aging,pseudo-celebrities: if you had a relatively nice run of things, save your money and when your 15 minutes is up, let it be! The last thing you need is a reality show which will show everyone what a worthless douchebag you really are; let us keep the good memories intact!

Manodogs said...

You might not know it, but this post has been #1 on Google almost since I made it. It's resulted in quite a bit of traffic and I have been watching the stats closer to see where people are coming from, etc.

That's how I came across this search which led a visitor here earlier today.

I don't usually include search URLs because, over the past few years, the engines have gotten to where they include all sorts of preferences and stuff which mean they won't show up on some folks' computers/browsers, etc. But this one I dug because the search phrase is "nick hogan is a douche."

And the interesting thing is that we are not #1 in the returns! This prick's name is synonymous with "douche" and has been for quite a while now!

What a truly horrible human being. If his parents had a single clue, they would be ashamed of what a terrible little asshole they've created!

I will boycott the network that gives this jerk a show.

Manodogs said...

WARNING:

The following link contains vulgar and graphic language.

These recorded voice mails were received by Hulk Hogan, following his appearance on Larry King Live. Hogan claims John Graziano's brother, David, sent them.

One of the messages specifically notes that "God put some serious shit on [the Hogan family]" - one must surmise this is because of their negative attitude. You can also hear Hogan at some point (I guess this is the tape from where he reported the calls to authorities), claiming he "doesn't know [what John Graziano] was into [or who he knows]."

While neither I nor The Rundown condone such behavior, we do think Hogan and his family should expect it and maybe temper what they say about the matter - especially in public.

By the Hogan's own reasoning, these calls are part of God's Plan.

Manodogs said...

The Superficial has video of John Graziano and his daily rehabilitation routine.

YOU DO NOT WANT TO SEE THIS IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH.

Graziano has more than just a "hole" in his head; the poor guy literally has no forehead!

I have a friend who had a hole in his head in the same place (following a car accident) and he used to get drunk and put a pool ball in it - where it fit quite handily, obscuring half the sphere - (he has since had surgery which "fixed" it) so I really didn't expect to be too shocked by this video because I thought I had seen something similar.

I have not.

The Hogans deserve every bit of negative press they get for their insensitivity to this kid and what their son did to him! And I sincerely hope the cops don't leap to find out who made those threatening phone calls.

Deal with it, "brother."

Manodogs said...

Nick Bollea was released from jail today, having served his 5-month sentence. He could have faced 5 years in prison, but the victim's family requested a shorter sentence.

Linda Hogan has requested the press and public respect his and the family's privacy.

Manodogs said...

VA doctors released Graziano to his parents' care today.