Packers cornerback Charles Woodson got off easy when he wasn’t ejected from Thursday night’s game after punching Saints tight end David Thomas. Now he’s gotten off easy again with a lower-than-expected fine.
The NFL has fined Woodson $10,000 for the punch, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
The $10,000 fine seems low, particularly compared to the $25,000 that Andre Johnson, Cortland Finnegan and Richard Seymour all got fined for throwing punches last season. The fine is also a pittance relative to Woodson’s salary, which tops $10 million a year.
So Woodson did something that’s indisputably unacceptable -- punching an opponent -- and got fined 0.1 percent of his salary. Jaguars practice squad linebacker Mike Lockley did something that’s at least arguably acceptable -- a borderline hit while trying to break up a pass -- and got fined more than 20 percent of his salary.
Something is wrong with that picture.