Has Michael Vick Paid His Debt to Society?

We dog people are a tough lot. We're opinionated, oftentimes judgmental, and let's face it, we're much harder on humans than we are on dogs. We'll forgive dogs over and over again for sometimes horrible infractions and give them multiple second chances, and rightfully so. They're animals and have no moral code. But with humans, not so much. After serving a nearly 2 year sentence, Michael Vick, once the highest paid NFL player ever, was released from prison yesterday morning. The former Atlanta Falcon lost his job, his money (he's filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy), will be under house arrest for an additional 2 months, and fell about as far from grace as any sports hero I've ever seen, even farther than NBA star Kobe Bryant, who was charged with sexual assault back in 2003 (the criminal case was later dropped when the victim refused to testify, and a civil suit was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount). Afterwards, Kobe stepped right back into the limelight and his lucrative basketball career, just like none of it ever happened. Even though there is talk that Vick would like to return to professional football at some point, many speculate he'll be viewed as a PR pariah and most teams wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole. According to the Humane Society of the United States president Wayne Pacelle, Vick will be working with the organization on an anti-dog fighting campaign. The program will be specifically targeted at educating and preventing urban youths from getting involved in dog fighting to begin with.

But is this enough? Has he sufficiently paid his debt?

I personally do believe people who have made mistakes and are sincerely remorseful and willing to pay restitution for their crimes do deserve a second chance, but for me, the jury is still out on Vick, even if he is no longer behind bars. It's easy to talk the talk, I want to see if he will truly walk the walk. Like my mother always used to say, actions speak louder than words, and as a dog person, boy do I get that one. So I am anxious to see if he will truly put up.