Being the child of a wealthy celebrity seems like a mixed blessing at best. Your parent can probably afford to make your diapers out of stitched-together $100 bills, but you inherit a spotlight that shines brightest in your darkest hour. For Hulk Hogan's son, Nick, the spotlight must have been blinding in 2007.
You may remember Nick from the reality show Hogan Knows Best. Unfortunately, he wasn't the Hogan who knew best. ABC described him as a "sort-of real-life Dennis the Menace." But he was more of a speed demon who didn't know when to hit the brakes. Unsatisfied with simply burning rubber as a racecar driver — which Nick also did — he would frequently speed on the street, sometimes breaking 100 mph. Tickets didn't deter him, and sadly, his best friend, John Graziano, paid the price.
In August 2007 then-17-year-old Nick got drunk and decided to get behind the wheel of a Toyota Supra with Graziano in the passenger's seat. Law enforcement later accused Nick of street racing, though he denied it. Regardless, he plowed into a tree, leaving Graziano, an Iraq War veteran, with severe brain damage. Graziano's father was understably livid, remarking, "What al Qaeda couldn't do to my son, [Nick] did in a matter of minutes." Nick received an eight-month jail sentence. The Graziano family received an out-of-court settlement, much of which Hulk Hogan paid out-of-pocket.
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