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Sloth, I think your dilemna may be caused by your trying to bite off more than you can chew. Your job title does't include deciding what is fair punishment, or not, neither does the job title of "coach", so their input on the question is totally immaterial.
We shouldn't presume that the rule makers didn't fully contemplate this type situation when designing these rules, so we should deal with what we're given. Generally, football rules are intended to be simply black, or white. As situations of gray develop, where necessary and appropriate, exceptions are included to cover significant deviations.
If you're looking for a fudge factor, the question of whether or not the runner was still actually in the field of play when the foul was committed is an option, but the answer is clear, the rules don't differentiate between a cheap shot on a breakaway versus a cheap shot anywhere else. Possibly the idea is to really enforce the notion that cheap shots, wherever they take place, are simply not acceptable.
Will coaches whine and feint shock and disbelief? Sometimes, but what difference should that make. A smart coach will use the example as a teaching moment that will likely prevent such action from ever taking place again. You ALWAYS have to consider the "other side of the coin".
What will be the reaction to your credibility by the offended team? Will they judge you as being biased? Will they take you decision as an excuse to levy their own form of retaliation? Will the player who was fouled be motivated to seek retaliation? Whichever decision you make, there will be consequences some of which are known and controllable, others over which you have no idea of, or control over. When following the rule, consequences seem much more predictable.
One can call it anything they want, describing it as a, "'live ball foul treated as a dead ball foul", is no more accurate than calling it, "coping out because you were afraid of making someone unhappy". It's a decision each of us have to make in all sorts of circumstances, most not as graphic as the question suggests.
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