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How quickly people forget. No, make that how quickly some Steelers fans forget.

The loud expressions of disgust that greeted revelations about quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's sordid behavior with a 20-year-old college student in a Georgia bar in March have largely faded. As training camp and the pre-season home games made clear, the jeers for Mr. Roethlisberger are now drowned out by the cheers.

Forgive and forget appears to be the prevailing sentiment among many fans, especially since the implications of Big Ben's absence for the start of the regular season have started to loom larger. These fears were accelerated Thursday night when Byron Leftwich, who was assumed to be the leading contender to take over at quarterback, injured a knee in the last preseason game.

Mr. Roethlisberger's status as the NFL's prodigal son now is virtually endorsed by the league itself. When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the quarterback's suspension for off-field misbehavior in April, it came with an incentive: He would miss six games, but that could be reduced to four if he showed progress in the counseling designed to make him shape up.

On Friday, Ben Roethlisberger and Steelers President Art Rooney went to New York to meet with Mr. Goodell and find out what he had decided. Because the quarterback has been attentive to doing what was asked of him, the commissioner's verdict was no surprise: The four-game, lesser suspension would apply, making Mr. Roethlisberger eligible to play Oct. 17 against Cleveland at Heinz Field. In the meantime, he cannot visit the Steelers training facility or have any contact with his teammates.

Anything less than a four-game suspension would have been a travesty. As it is, the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger have no complaint. True, the quarterback was not charged with a criminal offense, but he can count himself lucky for that. It is clear from the evidence in the case that he behaved badly and the league, protective of its good reputation, had every reason to act.

The leniency of the suspension will be justified only if Mr. Roethlisberger continues to behave himself. Forgive but don't forget ought to be the fans' attitude -- with forgiveness hinging on how the prodigal quarterback goes on with his life.

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