Hogans never learn from their mistakes

"For some reason, God laid some heavy sh-- on that kid."

— Hulk Hogan referring to accident victim John Graziano

Instant Karma's gonna get you, gonna knock you right on the head.

— The late John Lennon

Karma can be a strange thing. If you believe in such concepts, that "what goes around comes around," you need look no further than Hulk Hogan.

The Hulkster, who made a career out of working the masses and even many of his colleagues, now finds himself dealing with what might be understatedly described as a public relations problem.

That problem, simply, is that the public no longer believes him.

Hulkamania is over.

Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea, who made millions in the world of pro wrestling, jacked up on steroids while telling kids to "take your vitamins," tried his best to repair his badly damaged image last week on national TV with an appearance on the "Larry King Live" show. Despite the avuncular King's reputation as a softball lobber, Hogan was unable to credibly deflect some of the more pointed criticism aimed at him.

That's because there is no sufficient explanation to reconcile his 17-year-old son, Nick Hogan (Bollea), ruining the life of best friend John Graziano as a result of reckless driving. The apparent lack of discipline and respect for authority that preceded the tragedy can only be attributed to some suspect parenting skills.

The greed of fame and fortune has torn the Hogan family apart. There's a disconnect with reality, and it's one that existed long before the freak show that was "Hogan Knows Best." Instead of instilling values and building character, giving their son a sense of stability and responsibility, the attention-craving Hogans were more concerned with shoring up their celebrity status for a society that worships at the altar of celebrity.

Not much has changed. A leaked jailhouse tape revealed that Hogan's son wanted to make certain he could cash in on his jail time of eight months by having the reality TV cameras ready for action when he walked out of prison.

Nick, left to his own devices, even bragged to an interviewer months ago about his own sense of entitlement and avoiding penalty while being allowed to speed down Florida highways in his souped-up sports car. This, of course, begs the question as to why his parents didn't yank their son off the streets after a series of speeding tickets that included him driving in excess of 100 mph. There were no consequences and no accountability. And therein lies the problem.

Now it's left up to the system to take corrective measures that should have been taken long ago.

Hogan mentioned on the King show that he felt the accident, which left Graziano severely brain damaged and a vegetable for life, was "God's plan" to make the former Marine a better person. It takes an awful lot of gall to claim that a victim who's hanging on to life by the thinnest of threads might be a "better person" because of it.

Hogan even denied that his coddled, spoiled, thrill-loving teenage son was drag racing on the rain-slickened road the evening of the accident. "He precision drives," Hogan told a puzzled King.

Hogan, who has hired a public relations firm specializing in crisis management, went through all the motions in his best effort at spin control. He invoked religion and quoted scripture. He blamed "media terrorism" and tried to rationalize what was on the damning jailhouse tapes.

He even got choked up and, like a wrestler who knows when to go to the finish, saved his tears until the end of the show. But the tapes and the insensitive remarks that were made on them speak for themselves. What the family said in private carries significantly more weight than what they now claim in public.

"No matter how he tried to spin it, no matter how he tried to cry at the end," said Graziano lawyer George Tragos, "it wasn't going to change people's minds."

Unfortunately, though, it appears as if the Hogans have not learned from these painful lessons.

There's a messy divorce to deal with, and estranged wife Linda Hogan (Bollea) has requested half of the couple's shared assets, including millions in real estate holdings. Last week, she asked a Florida judge to throw Hogan in jail — the same one holding their son — for allegedly not paying his share of a $4.2 million Las Vegas condo.

The 48-year-old Linda, meanwhile, is dating a 19-year-old who went to school with her children. Photos recently were posted on a number of celebrity sites showing Linda partying with her young friend at an exclusive bash for the Palms Place grand opening in Vegas.

Twenty-year-old daughter Brooke Hogan (Bollea) apparently was shocked to learn of the blossoming romance between her mom — now dubbed "Cougar Queen" by the media — and her former classmate.

Not to be outdone, the 54-year-old Hulkster has found a new love interest of his own, a younger (34-year-old) companion who looks eerily similar to daughter Brooke. Hogan, though, took the opportunity on the King show to dismiss claims he is dating a friend of Brooke.

All apparently was forgiven, as just weeks later controversial photos surfaced on various sites and syndicated celebrity shows of the Hulkster lathering sunscreen on his bikini-clad daughter's posterior while the two hung out at a Los Angeles hotel pool, Brooke with her boyfriend and Hogan with his new companion.

And, to make matters worse, TMZ.com reported last week that the Hulk Hogan Ultimate Grill was recalled because it posed a fire hazard.

"Everything the Hogans touch these days seems to go up in flames — especially this time," said the site.