Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph did not get off easy in the altercation that saw him hit over the head with his own helmet by Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.
Rudolph, who grabbed the back of Garrett’s helmet while the two of them were on the ground at the end of the play, has been fined $50,000, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.
Garrett claimed Rudolph called him a racial slur, while the NFL said it found no evidence of that. So the league’s discipline is based on what could be seen on the video, and not on anything Rudolph may have said.
Some observers thought Rudolph should have been suspended along with Garrett, who has been banned for at least the rest of this season. Instead, Rudolph will get one of the biggest fines of any player in the league this season.
Rudolph may appeal the fine, and he’d have a good case for getting the amount reduced. Players who do not have any prior offenses usually get fines reduced as excessive if the amount of the fine exceeds 25 percent of the player’s weekly salary. Rudolph’s weekly salary is $38,722, so this fine is more than 100 percent of his weekly salary.