Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield has long been a supporter of Oklahoma death row inmate Julius Jones, even fighting for his innocence multiple times in the past. With that said, the former Oklahoma Sooner signal-caller couldn't contain his emotions when talking about Jones and his nearing execution on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Mayfield choked up in tears as he spoke about Jones and their fight to prove his innocence. Jones was convicted in 2002 for the 1999 shooting death of Edmond insurance executive Paul Howell during a carjacking incident.
The now 41-year-old Jones has long maintained his innocence, and he has found plenty of supporters in his fight to prove that he did not kill Howell. A lot of organizations and individuals have found troubling inconsistencies in the case that could very well favor Jones, though their efforts haven't yielded significant results.
“Yeah, that is pretty rough to be honest with you,” the Browns QB said about the case, via Yahoo Sports. “That’s not something that’s easy to talk about. I’ve been trying to get the facts stated and the truth to be told for a while, but it is tough to think about. Tried and tried. It is a shame that it has gotten this far. We are 24 hours away. So, it’s tough. You know, hopefully, God can intervene, and handle it correctly and do the things he needs to do.”
Now, only Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt can stop the execution. If he grants clemency to Jones, his sentence will be commuted life in prison with or without the possibility of parole.
For what it's worth, last year, Baker Mayfield penned a letter to Governor Stitt. The Browns QB pleaded for the Oklahoma leaders to review Julius Jones' commutation appeal, noting the “obvious shortcomings of the trial” and the “racial bias” in the arrest.
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