Who is Julius Jones? Baker Mayfield, Dak Prescott among NFL players who expressed support

As news broke of the commutation for the death penalty of Oklahoma inmate Julius Jones, NFL quarterbacks Dak Prescott and Baker Mayfield, among other players, gave their reaction to the story. It is a story that fascinates and disgusts in equal measure. We look at the backstory of Julius Jones and the reason Dak Prescott and Baker Mayfield felt the need to weigh in.

Who is Julius Jones?

Julius Darius Jones was born on 25 July 1980 in Oklahoma. He wasn't born in poverty, but Jones got involved in larceny and theft, arguably under the bad influence of his company.

The Julius Jones story

Julius Jones was convicted in 2002 of murdering Paul Howell, a businessman.The alleged incident having taken place in 1999.

Julius Jones maintains his innocence even now. He claims that the real criminal in this enterprise was his co-conspirator Christopher Jordan, who testified against him.

But the victim's family claim that Julius Jones was the person who killed Paul Howell. Howell's daughter maintains that she saw Jones approach the car wearing a bandana. The victim's sister has also corroborated the account.

Convicted of the crime, Jones was sentenced to a death penalty, which was scheduled to be served today. But the governor of Oklahoma, Kevin Stitt, commuted Jones' death sentence to life imprisonment. He did not give Julius Jones the possibility of parole.

NFL players support Julius Jones

The Julius Jones case has caught the eye of many well-known athletes. Ignoring the merits or demerits of the death penalty, many believe the case is not as open and shut as it seems and that inmates should be given a chance to clear their names.

Baker Mayfield, who attended college in Oklahoma, responded to the situation as follows:

Mayfield has been a supporter of the release of Julius Jones and must definitely feel successful after the commutation of Jones' sentence. Mayfield also hopes that such cases will be better handled, in his opinion, in the future.

However, he was not the only NFL quarterback to weigh in. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott also made his views clear:

Prescott has called for the release of Julius Jones based on his strong feelings on the matter; however, it does not look like it can happen anytime soon.

This is undoubtedly a case where there is no right opinion. But to see players going out of their way to get involved and fight for a cause they believe is just is heartening to see.

---