Nick Hogan – Yet Another Sad Story

Well, unless you've been living under a rock (or outside the state of Florida), you may not have heard about Nick Hogan (real name Nick Bollea). Here's the history...

Nick Hogan is the son of Hulk Hogan, one of my kinda sorta heros growing up (this was before I really knew what a hero was). In August of last year, a seventeen year old Nick Hogan was driving a modified Toyota Supra with his friend riding shotgun. Nick's driving record was less than stellar, especially considering he's been driving for only a couple of years. Several counts of reckless driving, but c'mon-even the best new drivers are reckless...they just don't intend to be. But with Nick Hogan's driving record, no one should have been surprised at that August evening's outcome.

Nine months ago, near Tampa, FL, Nick and his friend crashed. Nick was not horribly injured, but his friend is still in a coma. Today, Nick's sentence was handed down.

Nick Hogan received eight months in jail (not prison, from what I can read), three years revocation of his license, five years probation and 500 hours of community service.

A fair penalty? Well, let's look a little deeper...

Hogan pleaded no contest to the charges. Would have he received a stiffer sentence had he plead guilty? Dunno.

There are a few things I find interesting here...

1. The judge warned Nick Hogan against using any of his community service as speaking engagements which could garner him more media attention. Props, Judge!

and

2. The judge also ordered Hogan to remain alcohol free for the next five years, part of his probation conditions.

Um, shouldn't he stay alcohol free for the next five years due to the fact he's under age? Granted, maybe this needs to be reinforced when there's tons of evidence this crash was caused by not only speed and careless driving, but also by alcohol, but it seems redundant to warn him off booze.

The entire case is just a sad commentary on this young man's life. Should a 17 year old kid who made a tragic mistake be thrown in prison forever? Many bloggers tend to think so. I don't.

He's still a kid. Should this experience stay with him forever? Sure! should he serve a stiff penalty for the crime? Absolutely! Should his sentence reflect the severity of Hogan's friend's injuries? Darned tootin'.

But what exactly do we do with teens that make tragic mistakes? That's a really, really tough call-and it just reiterates why it's so important parents take an active role in education about the dangers of impaired and imprudent driving.

I hope the Nick Hogan case is a wake up call for parents nationwide. Please, please keep a close eye on your kids... I bet Hulk wishes he had.