A Higher Standard

So I've been following the Ben Roethlisberger story and its fallout. Should he be suspended? How many games? Is six games too many? Should he be traded? Can he be suspended even if he hasn't legally committed a crime?

And some of the comments I hear often in this story run something along these lines: "Players need to respect the shield .... Players need to realize they are very public figures ..... Players of the NFL are held to a higher standard."

Players are held to a higher standard.

Why is it that not carrying a loaded gun into a nightclub is seen as a "higher standard?"
Why is it that not abusing and fighting dogs is seen as a "higher standard?"
Why is it that not forcing women into unwanted sexual encounters is seen as a "higher standard?"

Rather than hold up athletes (and others) as public icons and expect them to live up to some Higher Standard, shouldn't we expect them to live into a common standard of decency?

Don't kill dogs. Don't be stupid with guns. Don't treat women as objects to be used.

Falling back on the higher standard argument simply reduces and belittles the common standard of behavior we should all live with.