Baker Mayfield Among Athletes Trying To Save Julius Jones From Death Row
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is among a group of athletes connected to the state of Oklahoma that are acting on behalf of Julius Jones. Jones is on death row as outlined in a story from ESPN's Royce Young explaining the circumstances of a man who's been in jail for 18 years for a crime he swears he did not commit.
Jones was convicted for the first-degree murder of Paul Howell, a 45-year old businessman in Edmond, Oklahoma.
In his clemency report, Jones said, "As God is my witness, I was not involved in any way in the crimes that led to Howell being shot and killed. I have spent the past 20 years on death row for a crime I did not commit, did not witness and was not at."
The other athletes involved include Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder as well as Blake Griffin of the Detroit Pistons and Buddy Hield of the Sacramento Kings, both of which played collegiately for the University of Oklahoma.
All of them authored letters to the governor's office of Oklahoma. They were individual with the goal of having each letter attack a different issue of what they call a flawed process that led to the conviction of the wrong man.
Not only are these athletes trying to capitalize on the moment that is presented to them due to the protests involving police brutality and the black lives matter movement, but the state of Oklahoma announced their intention to restart executions this year back in February.
So for Jones and these athletes, it represents a race against time to try to ensure that Jones is not put to death even before the issue of having the case evaluated and potentially retried to potentially exonerate him.
This is not the first time the Browns quarterback has signed his name to something with the hope of causing change. Mayfield signed onto a letter organized by the Players Coalition to Congress in an effort to end qualified immunity to police officers, reducing barriers for them to be sued in civil court for actions such as police brutality.
This, however, might be the first time where it's a matter of life and death for a man. It also raises questions that have been asked at times, but now may have the backing and energy to demand what are likely to be some uncomfortable answers about how the justice system works in this country.
While teammates like Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry have been using their voice to demand action and inspire change, Mayfield has often used a pen to try to make a difference. Attacking the issues from different angles may be the best way to find the right method to be the change they hope to see in their pursuit for justice. In the case of Mayfield, may his pen be mightier than any sword attempting to break the bonds of systematic oppression and racism.
