FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) The owner of the Atlanta Falcons says Michael Vick has paid his debt to society and merits a second chance.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank who once gave Vick a $130 million contract said Wednesday that the quarterback is taking positive steps by wanting to work with humane societies and making other changes in his life.

Vick left a federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan. Wednesday morning after serving most of a 23-month sentence for involvement in a dogfighting ring. Blank, whose team still owns the player's contractual rights, said he has been in written communication with Vick since the sentence began.

``There's no question Michael's paid his debt to society, obviously,'' Blank said during a break at the NFL owners' meetings in South Florida.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)