Hulk Hogan Has Long Road Ahead to Repairing Public Image

With Hulk Hogan currently suffering the burns from a firestorm surrounding a leaked racially charged rant, it's hard to imagine WWE welcoming him back into the fold, but it will happen.

Vile, hateful speech has cost Hogan his relationship with WWE, shredded his public image and turned much of his fanbase against him. We won't ever look at him the same. He's a tainted hero, an icon dishonored by his own words, but we will give him a second chance despite this fall from grace.

The wound won't always be as fresh as it is right now.

Hogan has it in his power to change his damaged public perception over time. Just not immediately.

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For some, the shock of hearing a man so many of us rooted for as kids rattle off the N-word has yet to wear off. For others, disgust and rage have already set in. 

During a lawsuit involving a leaked sex tape, a joint investigation from the National Enquirer and Radar Online discovered audio that featured Hogan going off about his daughter Brooke dating an African-American man, firing off the N-word several times. The diatribe is blatantly racist. 

WWE quickly distanced itself from Hogan despite him still being a major star, despite him being the man around whom Vince McMahon built his sports entertainment empire when it went from regional promotion to national phenomenon. 

You won't find Hogan's profile on WWE.com anymore. You can no longer find any Hogan merchandise on WWE's online shop. 

He's gone as an employee as well. Jimmy Traina of Fox Sports posted WWE's official statement on Hogan losing his position with the company:

WWE not only terminated the former world champ's contract, but has cut out his very existence from its landscape.

The Hulkster won't even be wrestling in the virtual world. 2K issued a statement (h/t Forbes) announcing that the company had dropped Hogan from its upcoming WWE video game.

There are many who will proclaim Hogan's career dead. There are many who will argue that the racist label will forever follow Hogan and serve as an anchor pulling him under.

But those folks are forgetting what power time has. The vilified have recovered in the past. The longer the space between one's transgression and the present grows, the more one has of a shot at netting a second chance.

We have shown ourselves to be a society of forgiveness—or perhaps just selective forgetfulness.

In 1992, a court convicted Mike Tyson of rape. At the time, pronouncing his career as a public figure over made perfect sense. The monstrous act that sent him to prison was not something a PR firm could offer a sly spin on; it was unforgivable. Or so it seemed.

Fast-forward to today, and Tyson isn't exiled from society. Instead, he has released a best-selling book, made cameos in comedy films, created a one-man show in Vegas and is the star of a Scooby Doo-like cartoon on Adult Swim.

It's also worth noting that WWE made Tyson a member of its Hall of Fame post-conviction.

Steve Austin had his own darkness to make amends for. He allegedly abused his now ex-wife Debra Marshall (who was a WWE performer herself), a violent history Marshall discussed with Fox News back in 2007. At one point in the interview, Marshall says, "He's on my back with his knee in my back, pounding me in the back and in my face. I thought I was going to die."

In spite of that, Austin is far from a pariah. Rather, he's often a spokesman for whatever new product WWE has coming out, be it a video game or the company's own Netflix-like streaming service.

The outrage over Philadelphia Eagles receiver Riley Cooper shouting the N-word at a Kenny Chesney concert in 2013 has died down dramatically. And although Justin Bieber is not exactly a beloved figure, his use of the N-word hasn't derailed his career.

Do people even remember Eric Clapton reportedly shouting "Keep Britain white!" at a concert in 1976?

The Hulkster also has a number of African-Americans in his corner. Dennis Rodman, who worked with Hogan in WCW, made it clear that he's behind Hogan despite the ugly rant, despite the controversy:

George Foreman is also among those who have come out in support of Hogan. Speaking with TMZ Sports, Foreman said, "I have known Hulk Hogan for well over 20 years. I do not condone the language he used, but he is no racist, he is a good guy."

Former WWE star Kamala (real name: James Harris) told Bleacher Report's Jason King, "That's not the Hogan I know. Hogan always treated me like a gentleman."

In part because of supporters like these, image rehab is a real possibility for Hogan. It won't come easy, though. His statements cut deep. They aren't marginally racist; they are hate-filled, closed-minded garbage. 

Hogan will have to put in the necessary work to start earning cheers again.

PWInsider's Dave Scherer shared a smart strategy for Hogan to follow. He writes, "If Hogan were to lay low now, undergo sensitivity training and when he is done, come out as a vocal anti-racism advocate, he can get forgiveness from the masses."

It's a process that will take years, but Hogan can eventually climb out of the hole he stands in now.