After pleading no contest, Nick Bollea was sentenced on Friday to eight months in county jail, plus five years probation, and five years of staying off the booze. The 17-year-old spoiled brat spawned by Hulk Hogan got off lightly considering he was the driver in the horrific car crash in Miami last year that turned his best friend into a vegetable.
The son of the wrestling superstar was lead away to jail immediately after the judge imposed the sentence.
The family of John Graziano, who was critically hurt in the August crash, asked the judge to impose a sentence of up to a year in jail, well short of the five years Nick could have received.
Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, wore a black bandanna and testified on his son's behalf, as did his estranged wife Linda and daughter Brooke.
Nick was arrested in November and charged with felony reckless driving that caused a serious bodily injury. Authorities say he was street racing his father's 1998 Toyota Supra when he struck a curb, spun in traffic and slammed into a palm tree.
The impact critically injured Graziano, who now needs lifetime medical care. A former Marine who served in Iraq, Graziano was not wearing a seat belt and suffered a broken skull and other severe injuries.
Graziano's family said through an attorney they were satisfied with the verdict, but wished the judge would have found Bollea guilty. "Speeding to Nick was a badge of honor," Graziano's mother, Debbie, said during the hearing. "I'm not seeking revenge, only justice."
