When Hulk Hogan's son had to spend months in prison after accident that gave a man brain damage

Hulk Hogan is certainly a controversial figure in the wrestling world. While at one point, he was the biggest name in wrestling, his stock has naturally fallen with the audience since his private adult tape was leaked with him making racist and homophobic comments. As it turns out, Hogan's son has also been through his fair share of controversy.

Nick Hogan, son of WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan, made a name for himself as a racecar driver when he was a teen. Between 2005 and 2007, while appearing for his family's reality TV show, Hogan Knows Best, he was showcased as a teenage prankster. However, he had other issues behind the scenes. He earned a Formula D competition license in 2006. He didn't contain his need to race only on the racetrack though.

In Florida, he racked up several tickets for speeding at 115 mph in a 70 mph zone and 123 mph in a 50 mph zone. He was ticketed several times after that as well, all between 2006 and 2007. Unfortunately, for him, he didn't take away a lesson from it all.

On August 26, 2007, days after his fourth speeding ticket in 11 months, the 17-year-old was involved in a serious crash. He and three members of his pit crew were using two of Hulk Hogan's cars. He was driving the Toyota Supra when it fishtailed and spun across the road, hitting a palm tree.

He and his passenger, 22-year-old John Graziano were both injured and flown to Bayfront Medical Center. While Nick Hogan was released the following day, Graziano was apparently not wearing a seatbelt. He suffered severe brain damage and was sentenced to a life where he would be forced to spend the majority in a semi-conscious state. Graziano was an Iraq war veteran.

Police said that Nick was drinking while speeding that day. While Hogan's family settled a lawsuit with Graziano's family, that was not all that Nick would have to do. He accepted a plea deal for reckless driving and was sentenced to eight months behind bars. He was a juvenile charged as an adult, so he spent part of his time separated from other prisoners. He was in solitary confinement for 23 hours each day.

He spent five months at Pinellas County Jail before he was released due to good behavior. He was also sentenced to five years of probation, 500 hours of community service, and a suspended driving license for three years.

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WWE legend Hulk Hogan's son received death threats

After the crash, Hulk Hogan's son was also the target of anonymous phone calls. He described them as being extremely disturbing.

"[There were] really disturbing voicemails that were threatening my life. There's someone out there who's got a screw loose who's leaving me these voicemails that wants to do this to me," Nick Hogan noted.

After his release, he would confess that he found it difficult to move on and that there were days when he could not get out of bed. Graziano's family never believed that Nick Hogan showed remorse, however, issuing a statement through their lawyer.

"Nick has done nothing to show remorse. We haven't heard a word from him.... We don't believe a word of what he says about being remorseful."

The Pinellas County Jail complied with a public records request and released 36 hours of conversations between Nick and his parents. The family didn't know that the records could be released to the media, even though they knew that they were being recorded.

On the tape, Nick asked Hulk Hogan to line up a reality show for him for when he got out of jail.

"I want to do it where I'll make the most money," he said.

He would later explain that those tapes were recorded during a challenging time in his life and that he was in the "deepest depths of mental insanity" after being in solitary confinement.

While Nick has appeared alongside Hulk Hogan on television several times, he has never wrestled.