Many professional and amateur athletes are increasingly using their platforms as a way to speak out about politics, policy and systemic racism.
Now, one of the biggest names in the NFL on one of the most well-known sports teams in the world is calling for the release of a Black man on death row in Oklahoma who he says was wrongfully convicted.
Dak Prescott, the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, sent a letter to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt this week asking that Julius Jones, who has been on death row for about 20 years after a murder conviction in the late 90s, be released from prison, according to TIME Magazine, which broke the story on Thursday.
Prescott joins a chorus of other professional athletes — including Blake Griffin, Russel Westbrook and Baker Mayfield — who have asked Oklahoma state officials to overturn Jones’ conviction, according to the magazine.
“After reviewing the facts of the Julius Jones case, I firmly believe the wrong person is being punished for this terrible crime; furthermore, an evaluation of the process that led to Mr. Jones’ conviction raises serious legal and ethical concerns. I implore you to right this wrong. Please don’t let another innocent black man die from the systemic mistreatment that has plagued our nation for far too long,” Prescott wrote, according to TIME.
Prescott’s Aug. 6 letter to the governor’s parole board calls Jones’ “conviction and death sentence is an egregious injustice.”
Jones was sentenced to death row in 1999 after being convicted at age 19 for the murder of Paul Howell, a white businessman from Edmond, Oklahoma. The murder charge was elevated to a capital case because it occurred during another felonious crime, a carjacking. Jones was, at the time, attending Oklahoma University.
However, the case has since received widespread questions about Jones’ appointed public defender, conflicting witness statements, a description of the shooter by the lone eyewitness and racist statements made by members of Jones’ nearly all-white jury, TIME reports.
In his October 2019 commutation application, Jones provides statements from two inmates that claim they overheard another man, who was also convicted for a role in the murder of Howell, brag about framing Jones, TIME reported.
Jones’ murder case was a focus in the ABC-produced documentary series The Last Defense. A coalition called Justice for Julius launched an online petition that garnered 6 million signatures.
“The treatment of Julius Jones is the kind of miscarriage of justice African American men like myself live in fear of, and that is why I feel compelled to use the influence that God has blessed me with to speak up for what I believe is right and to give a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves,” Prescott wrote.
Still, Oklahoma state leaders have pushed back on claims that justice was not carried out in the case and stand by the death sentence for Jones. The state attorney general released a refutation of innocence claims titled “Overhwelming Evidence of Guilt,” in which he lays out arguments against several major criticisms of the case.
“As a black man in this country right now, I experience injustices firsthand day in and day out, even as an athlete with “celebrity status.” Current events are shining a much-needed light on deep-seated prejudices and systemic mistreatment of black people, and it is my sincere hope that the cultural movements of today will lead to significant social changes that will create a better tomorrow,” the quarterback wrote.
Prescott’s letter can be read in full below, via TIME Magazine.
Dear Governor Stitt and Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board Members,
I am writing to express my wholehearted support of Julius Jones’ commutation application.
As a black man in this country right now, I experience injustices firsthand day in and day out, even as an athlete with “celebrity status.” Current events are shining a much-needed light on deep-seated prejudices and systemic mistreatment of black people, and it is my sincere hope that the cultural movements of today will lead to significant social changes that will create a better tomorrow. To that end, you all are in the unique position of being able to make a direct impact by addressing a specific miscarriage of justice.
After reviewing the facts of the Julius Jones case, I firmly believe the wrong person is being punished for this terrible crime; furthermore, an evaluation of the process that led to Mr. Jones’ conviction raises serious legal and ethical concerns. I implore you to right this wrong. Please don’t let another innocent black man die from the systemic mistreatment that has plagued our nation for far too long.
It is my firm belief that Julius Jones’ conviction and death sentence is an egregious injustice. Mr. Jones has been on death row for 20 years, despite written affidavits from his trial lawyers describing the ways they failed him in court. Mr. Jones’ attorneys never presented the photo taken 9 days prior to the crime that could have provided clarity about the shooter’s description. They were appointed without having any experience in death penalty cases, and did not even present Mr. Jones’ alibi at trial. In addition, a member of the jury (comprised of 11 white members out of 12) has confirmed that the jury acted with racial animus – admitting that inappropriate and biased statements were made by other jurors during the trial, including the use of racial slurs.
The treatment of Julius Jones is the kind of miscarriage of justice African American men like myself live in fear of, and that is why I feel compelled to use the influence that God has blessed me with to speak up for what I believe is right and to give a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. Julius Jones’ case is a clear example of what can happen to a person who cannot afford legal representation, and what can happen to a black person at any time in this country – which is exactly why so many are protesting for the changes we so desperately need. I ask for you to please do your part to help bring about this change by giving thoughtful and sincere consideration to your review of Julius Jones’ commutation application. My prayer is that he is able to salvage what remains of his life and that, through the righting of a decades-old wrong, he will be restored to his family soon.
Sincerely,
Rayne Dakota “Dak” Prescott
Dallas Cowboys