Of course, the FA have also charged Pardew with improper conduct and will decide his fate on Thursday but here is a chance for Mike Ashley to put the club in a good light ... for once.
The fine is a hefty one and is unprecedented in English football but Ashley may just have opened up a can of worms by making it public knowledge.
The Chronicle, one of the local titles banned by the club, have called for the money to be given to charity.
And why not?
It does exert a little pressure on the sportswear tycoon, but if Ashley had any sense he would see this as an opportunity to 'win some friends and influence people of the north-east.'
The Chronicle claims the money staying within the club merely amounts to it staying in Ashley's pocket and fans will not be impressed if that is the case.
No stranger to controversy and PR disasters, what Mike Ashley will do now is anyone's guess but he would be well-advised to heed the calls and to make the most of what has been an embarrassing situation for Newcastle United by engaging in some positive PR on the back of Pardew's latest gaffe.