Nick Hogan
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Allan Bollea also known as Nick Hogan, is an American reality
personality & actor
, best known as the son of semi-retired professional wrestler
Hulk Hogan
and for his appearances on the reality show Hogan Knows Best
(and its spinoff, Brooke Knows Best
) alongside his father, mother Linda, and older sibling Brooke
.
Bollea was involved in a serious car accident on August 26, 2007 for which he spent May 9, 2008 to October 21, 2008 in Pinellas County
jail. The passenger in Bollea's car, John Graziano, was injured severely in the accident and is expected to require 24-hour-a-day care for the rest of his life.
competition license in 2006 from Formula Drift, the only professional drifting
series in North America, and competed in one of their competitions, the event in Atlanta on May 12, 2007.
Bollea was active in the NOPI Drift series, qualified 10th at the Denver NOPI drift event of 2007, and placed third at their Pittsburgh event. Bollea occasionally attended amateur drifting competitions. According to Chris Tyler, a drift event organizer, Bollea attended an event the Friday prior to the crash of Nick's Toyota Supra. Bollea did not compete; he gave drifting demonstrations between the runs of competitors.
Bollea's celebrity status and enthusiasm for drifting attracted sponsors. He was briefly signed to Dodge
, but company spokesman Todd Goyer said that he "is not a Dodge driver or a Mopar driver", and that his relationship with Dodge/Mopar ended two months prior to his 2007 crash. He was sponsored for the 2007 season by Polaroid, Mac Tools, BF Goodrich and Sparco. These companies are still listed on the NOPI website as sponsors of Nick's drift car, but Polaroid VP of marketing Cheryl Mau said, "We do not have a signed sponsorship agreement with Nick Hogan for the 2008 race season."
Bollea had two Dodge Viper
s with steering modified to enhance their drifting capability, but his last competition vehicle was a Nissan 350Z.
John Graziano (the veteran Marine injured in the Supra crash) and Danny Jacobs (the driver of the silver Viper, seen with the Supra at the time of the crash) worked in Nick Bollea's pit crew during 2007 in St. Louis, Denver and Los Angeles. Barry Lawrence, the passenger in the aforementioned Viper, was also a member of Bollea's pit crew.
, Bollea was driving a yellow 2001 Lamborghini Diablo VT owned by Cecile Barker (chairman of SoBe Entertainment
, the record label attached to his sister) when it caught on fire. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokesman Paul Perry said, "It was a normal car fire. It happens a bunch of times every day and nobody notices."
On September 17, 2006, Bollea was stopped twice driving between Miami and Tampa. He was warned the first time and ticketed the second for going 115 mph (51 m/s) in a 70 mph (31 m/s) zone. In an August 2007 interview with Rides, Bollea said he was driving 123 mph (55 m/s) in a 50 mph (22 m/s) zone. His mother said the interview was exaggerated.
On February 8, 2007, he was ticketed in Miami-Dade County, Florida
for driving 57 mph (25 m/s) in a 30 mph (13 m/s) zone, and on April 25, 2007, he was ticketed and received four points on his license for driving 106 mph (47 m/s) in a 70 mph (31 m/s) zone in Osceola County. On August 10, 2007, he was ticketed in Pinellas Park after being clocked going 82 mph (37 m/s) in a 45 mph (20 m/s) construction zone.
, on the evening of August 26, 2007. Bollea and three members of the pit crew for his drifting team, using two of his father's cars — a yellow Toyota Supra
and a silver Dodge Viper
— were traveling to a steakhouse when the single-vehicle crash occurred at Court St. and Missouri Ave., near downtown Clearwater. The yellow Supra, which Bollea had been driving in the outside lane, fishtailed
and spun across the road, crashing into the median strip and into a palm tree. The impact destroyed the car.
Bollea and his passenger, 22-year-old John Graziano, were flown to Bayfront Medical Center
in St. Petersburg, Florida
. Bollea was released from care on August 27 and said to be "OK". Graziano, a U.S. Marine and a member of Bollea's pit crew, was not wearing a seatbelt. The eye and brain injuries he sustained are expected to leave him in a nursing home for the rest of his life. In September 2009, Graziano returned to his home where he continued to receive full-time care.
. He turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday, November 7, 2007, and was released within hours on $10,000 bail. Bollea was charged with reckless driving involving serious bodily injury (a 3rd degree felony, punishable by up to 5 years in prison plus fines), use of a motor vehicle in commission of a felony, a person under the age of 21 operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol level of 0.02 or higher, and illegal window tint. Two hours after the wreck, Nick's blood alcohol content
was 0.055.
Police believed that Nick Bollea and Danny Jacobs were speeding "in excess of 60 mph (27 m/s) in the posted 40 mph (18 m/s) zone" on the wet road prior to the crash and both were charged with reckless driving. Eyewitnesses claimed the cars were racing. The official police report says that the two cars were racing, but that Jacobs' actions were not a direct cause of the accident.
Prior to the trial, Bollea's lawyer said that the accident was not the result of speeding, emphasizing that Bollea was wearing a seatbelt and Graziano was not. Bollea's lawyer released a store's surveillance video from earlier in the day which he claimed could disprove the police report that Nick was driving at least 50% faster than the posted speed limit. The Graziano family denied rumors of a civil suit, but later the Graziano family lawyers suggested a civil suit against the Bolleas to pay for John's lifetime medical care.
and was sentenced to eight months in Pinellas County Jail. The sentence also called for Bollea to serve five years of probation, 500 community service hours, and his driver's license was suspended for 3 years.
After a public records request, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office released audio tapes of Nick's jail phone conversation from his overnight incarceration several months earlier. The conversation included Nick saying that crash victim John Graziano was a "negative person." The press was critical of the excerpts blaming the crash victim and said the phone calls could mark the end of Hulkamania. Nick later sued the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office for releasing the tapes of his phone conversations.
Bollea was separated from the general jail population because he was a minor. His attorneys asked for reconsideration of his sentence, seeking temporary house arrest until he was 18 years old. On June 3, 2008, the motion was denied. Soon after, Bollea was moved to join three other juvenile inmates. On July 27 (his 18th birthday), he was moved to Pinellas County Jail general population.
On October 21, 2008, Bollea was released from the Pinellas County Jail due to "good time" credit and moved to his mother's home in Clearwater, Florida.
's wrestling school.
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
personality & actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, best known as the son of semi-retired professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
and for his appearances on the reality show Hogan Knows Best
Hogan Knows Best
Hogan Knows Best is an American television show produced by Pink Sneakers Productions and centered on the family life of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan . Often focusing on the Hogans' raising of their children, and on Hulk Hogan's attempts to manage and assist in his children's burgeoning careers...
(and its spinoff, Brooke Knows Best
Brooke Knows Best
Brooke Knows Best was a VH1 reality series spin off from the hit VH1 reality program, Hogan Knows Best. The series first aired July 13, 2008...
) alongside his father, mother Linda, and older sibling Brooke
Brooke Hogan
Brooke Ellen Bollea , better known by her stage name Brooke Hogan, is an American singer, actress, model, socialite, and television personality, and the oldest child of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan . She appeared on the reality-television series Hogan Knows Best, which focused on her family,...
.
Bollea was involved in a serious car accident on August 26, 2007 for which he spent May 9, 2008 to October 21, 2008 in Pinellas County
Pinellas County, Florida
Pinellas County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its county seat is Clearwater, Florida, and its largest city is St. Petersburg. This county is contained entirely within the telephone area code 727, except for some sections of Oldsmar, which have the area code 813...
jail. The passenger in Bollea's car, John Graziano, was injured severely in the accident and is expected to require 24-hour-a-day care for the rest of his life.
Motorsports
Bollea earned a Formula DFormula D
Formula DRIFT or Formula D is the premier United States drifting series. Formula Drift, Inc. was co-founded by Jim Liaw and Ryan Sage in 2003 as a sister company to Slipstream Global Marketing, the same partnership that brought D1 Grand Prix to the United States. The new entity would solely own,...
competition license in 2006 from Formula Drift, the only professional drifting
Drifting (motorsport)
Drifting refers to a driving technique and to a motorsport where the driver intentionally over steers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a high exit speed...
series in North America, and competed in one of their competitions, the event in Atlanta on May 12, 2007.
Bollea was active in the NOPI Drift series, qualified 10th at the Denver NOPI drift event of 2007, and placed third at their Pittsburgh event. Bollea occasionally attended amateur drifting competitions. According to Chris Tyler, a drift event organizer, Bollea attended an event the Friday prior to the crash of Nick's Toyota Supra. Bollea did not compete; he gave drifting demonstrations between the runs of competitors.
Bollea's celebrity status and enthusiasm for drifting attracted sponsors. He was briefly signed to Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
, but company spokesman Todd Goyer said that he "is not a Dodge driver or a Mopar driver", and that his relationship with Dodge/Mopar ended two months prior to his 2007 crash. He was sponsored for the 2007 season by Polaroid, Mac Tools, BF Goodrich and Sparco. These companies are still listed on the NOPI website as sponsors of Nick's drift car, but Polaroid VP of marketing Cheryl Mau said, "We do not have a signed sponsorship agreement with Nick Hogan for the 2008 race season."
Bollea had two Dodge Viper
Dodge Viper
The first prototype was tested in January 1989. It debuted in 1991 with two pre-production models as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 when Dodge was forced to substitute it in place of the Japanese-built Stealth because of complaints from the United Auto Workers, and went on sale in January...
s with steering modified to enhance their drifting capability, but his last competition vehicle was a Nissan 350Z.
John Graziano (the veteran Marine injured in the Supra crash) and Danny Jacobs (the driver of the silver Viper, seen with the Supra at the time of the crash) worked in Nick Bollea's pit crew during 2007 in St. Louis, Denver and Los Angeles. Barry Lawrence, the passenger in the aforementioned Viper, was also a member of Bollea's pit crew.
Vehicle incidents
In 2006, in Bay Harbor Islands, FloridaBay Harbor Islands, Florida
Bay Harbor Islands is a town in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,146 at the 2000 census. It is separated from the mainland by Biscayne Bay, with which it is connected via the Broad Causeway. On the mainland side, BHI is bordered by the city of North Miami, while to...
, Bollea was driving a yellow 2001 Lamborghini Diablo VT owned by Cecile Barker (chairman of SoBe Entertainment
SoBe Entertainment
SoBe Entertainment, LLC is an international entertainment parent company founded by Cecile D. Barker with music, film, TV, night club, management and digital subsidiaries....
, the record label attached to his sister) when it caught on fire. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokesman Paul Perry said, "It was a normal car fire. It happens a bunch of times every day and nobody notices."
On September 17, 2006, Bollea was stopped twice driving between Miami and Tampa. He was warned the first time and ticketed the second for going 115 mph (51 m/s) in a 70 mph (31 m/s) zone. In an August 2007 interview with Rides, Bollea said he was driving 123 mph (55 m/s) in a 50 mph (22 m/s) zone. His mother said the interview was exaggerated.
On February 8, 2007, he was ticketed in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
for driving 57 mph (25 m/s) in a 30 mph (13 m/s) zone, and on April 25, 2007, he was ticketed and received four points on his license for driving 106 mph (47 m/s) in a 70 mph (31 m/s) zone in Osceola County. On August 10, 2007, he was ticketed in Pinellas Park after being clocked going 82 mph (37 m/s) in a 45 mph (20 m/s) construction zone.
Supra crash
Bollea was involved in a serious accident in Clearwater, FloridaClearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
, on the evening of August 26, 2007. Bollea and three members of the pit crew for his drifting team, using two of his father's cars — a yellow Toyota Supra
Toyota Supra
The Toyota Supra is a sports car/grand tourer that was produced by Toyota Motor Company from 1979 to 2002. The styling of the Toyota Supra was derived from the Toyota Celica, but it was both longer and wider. Starting in mid-1986, the Supra became its own model and was no longer based on the Celica...
and a silver Dodge Viper
Dodge Viper
The first prototype was tested in January 1989. It debuted in 1991 with two pre-production models as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 when Dodge was forced to substitute it in place of the Japanese-built Stealth because of complaints from the United Auto Workers, and went on sale in January...
— were traveling to a steakhouse when the single-vehicle crash occurred at Court St. and Missouri Ave., near downtown Clearwater. The yellow Supra, which Bollea had been driving in the outside lane, fishtailed
Fishtailing
Fishtailing is a vehicle handling problem which occurs when the rear wheels lose traction, resulting in oversteer. This can be caused by low friction surfaces...
and spun across the road, crashing into the median strip and into a palm tree. The impact destroyed the car.
Bollea and his passenger, 22-year-old John Graziano, were flown to Bayfront Medical Center
Bayfront Medical Center
Bayfront Medical Center is a hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. Bayfront Medical Center is Pinellas County's only trauma center and St. Petersburg's longest-standing hospital....
in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
. Bollea was released from care on August 27 and said to be "OK". Graziano, a U.S. Marine and a member of Bollea's pit crew, was not wearing a seatbelt. The eye and brain injuries he sustained are expected to leave him in a nursing home for the rest of his life. In September 2009, Graziano returned to his home where he continued to receive full-time care.
Charges
Bollea was charged with several violations for the crash, including a felonyFelony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
. He turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday, November 7, 2007, and was released within hours on $10,000 bail. Bollea was charged with reckless driving involving serious bodily injury (a 3rd degree felony, punishable by up to 5 years in prison plus fines), use of a motor vehicle in commission of a felony, a person under the age of 21 operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol level of 0.02 or higher, and illegal window tint. Two hours after the wreck, Nick's blood alcohol content
Blood alcohol content
Blood alcohol content , also called blood alcohol concentration, blood ethanol concentration, or blood alcohol level is most commonly used as a metric of alcohol intoxication for legal or medical purposes....
was 0.055.
Police believed that Nick Bollea and Danny Jacobs were speeding "in excess of 60 mph (27 m/s) in the posted 40 mph (18 m/s) zone" on the wet road prior to the crash and both were charged with reckless driving. Eyewitnesses claimed the cars were racing. The official police report says that the two cars were racing, but that Jacobs' actions were not a direct cause of the accident.
Prior to the trial, Bollea's lawyer said that the accident was not the result of speeding, emphasizing that Bollea was wearing a seatbelt and Graziano was not. Bollea's lawyer released a store's surveillance video from earlier in the day which he claimed could disprove the police report that Nick was driving at least 50% faster than the posted speed limit. The Graziano family denied rumors of a civil suit, but later the Graziano family lawyers suggested a civil suit against the Bolleas to pay for John's lifetime medical care.
Incarceration
On May 9, 2008, Bollea entered a no contest pleaNolo contendere
is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...
and was sentenced to eight months in Pinellas County Jail. The sentence also called for Bollea to serve five years of probation, 500 community service hours, and his driver's license was suspended for 3 years.
After a public records request, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office released audio tapes of Nick's jail phone conversation from his overnight incarceration several months earlier. The conversation included Nick saying that crash victim John Graziano was a "negative person." The press was critical of the excerpts blaming the crash victim and said the phone calls could mark the end of Hulkamania. Nick later sued the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office for releasing the tapes of his phone conversations.
Bollea was separated from the general jail population because he was a minor. His attorneys asked for reconsideration of his sentence, seeking temporary house arrest until he was 18 years old. On June 3, 2008, the motion was denied. Soon after, Bollea was moved to join three other juvenile inmates. On July 27 (his 18th birthday), he was moved to Pinellas County Jail general population.
On October 21, 2008, Bollea was released from the Pinellas County Jail due to "good time" credit and moved to his mother's home in Clearwater, Florida.
Later life
In 2009, the Wrestling Observer reported that Bollea was training to become a pro wrestler at RikishiSolofa Fatu
Solofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:...
's wrestling school.