I'm the same. Would definitely have been a good option.
That said, I'm not sure it's a massive problem area. Not sure Stoke will be playing at the top end of the table next year.
The guy who got caught mocking Bradley Lowry got a 5 year ban plus a 12 week suspended prison sentence. Whilst that was also shameful I'm not sure how that gets a bigger punishment.
Assuming he moves up a level, whether that's Premier League, Spain or even Celtic, I doubt he'd be a top earner. Would obviously earn more than here though.