Mason Rudolph's $50K Fine Could Be Reduced Because His Salary is So Low

After assessing the involvement of Mason Rudolph in will surely go down as one of the most infamous on-field fights in league history, it was reported Saturday that the NFL was fining the Steelers quarterback a total of $50,000.

Now, it's come to light that the league may end up reducing the his fine because it's nearly equivalent to about 1.5 games' worth of paychecks for Rudolph.

Yes, read that again.

The second-year Rudolph's game checks are a modest $38,721 each. He was signed to a $4 million contract over four years, but he's making just $658,267 this season overall. With that in mind, a $50,000 penalty is pretty hefty.

The NFL rulebook states that "a fine may be reduced (on appeal) only if it exceeds 25 percent of one week of a player's salary for a first offense." $50,000 far exceeds the $38,721 Rudolph is making; forget about 25%.

First, Rudolph nearly gets his head split open on live television. Next, he's accused of spitting out a racial slur directed towards Myles Garrett. Finally, he's fined an amount of money that far exceeds what he makes in a game.

At least Rudolph and the Steelers are facing off against the hapless 0-10 Cincinnati Bengals tomorrow. There's no better remedy for a tough stretch than that.