Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger seems to be doing everything he can to comply with terms of the discipline handed down by National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell. It's in his and the Steelers' best interests that he do so.

But despite Roethlisberger's efforts to effect a turnaround regarding his conduct and his life in general, it would do professional football — indeed, all professional sports — a disservice if the quarterback's six-game start-of-season suspension were reduced to four games.

The message must be firmly planted in pro sports that improper conduct will be dealt with firmly and without leniency. Reducing Roethlisberger's suspension would send the wrong message.

If he wants to continue as a Pittsburgh Steeler or elsewhere in the league, Roethlisberger must turn his life around — and make sure it will stay that way.

As for other players in the league, they must know that the league isn't going to be forgiving and isn't going to back off from punishment just because a player expresses sorrow for some improper conduct or action — or for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.

They must know that improper conduct risks jeopardizing their career — or at least a part of it — and that there will be significant playing and financial consequences tied to their improper conduct.

A six-game suspension is not too much for Roethlisberger to endure, considering the sexual assault allegations that were leveled against him and what audio and video clips from an investigation in Georgia revealed.

Roethlisberger never should have allowed himself to get caught up in such a situation, which involved a 20-year-old college student, especially since he already was targeted in a sexual-assault lawsuit filed in Nevada.

He embarrassed himself, his family, the Steelers and the NFL. He should have to pay a price that will discourage him from ever falling victim to such unacceptable conduct again.

Trying to explain how he ended up in his current situation, Roethlisberger told KDKA-TV the other day: "Big Ben just kept building up. It ended up coming off the field. It kept taking over. Superman kept taking over Clark Kent and you just never saw who Ben Roethlisberger was any more.

"At the time, I didn't see it. I was gaining everything, but I was losing a lot of who I was raised to be. It got so overwhelming, it consumed me."

It was a bad comparison. At no time did Superman — or Clark Kent — engage in the kind of boorish, disrespectful behavior that became synonymous with Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger's suspension should not be reduced to four games in response to his contrition and for otherwise complying with terms of the discipline that the league and Goodell have meted out. Ordering the six-game suspension to stand will be good for the league in the long run.

It also would serve as a good example of how other professional sports should deal with athletes whose conduct threatens to undermine them.

If the Steelers lose their first six games due in part to Roethlisberger's absence, so be it. It's better to be 0-6 and have to work harder to salvage a season than to be 6-0 while wondering when the next player is going to get into trouble and erode what the team has worked so hard to achieve.

Steelers fans, while being hopeful about Roethlisberger and the team's future, should nonetheless be cautious about heaping forgiveness and adulation on Roethlisberger too soon.