Shock new details emerge in death of NFL icon John Elway's agent and business partner
Alcohol was not a factor in the crash that led to the death of NFL legend John Elway's agent, sources told a local Denver news station as it pieces together the timeline of last month's tragedy.
Jeff Sperbeck, Elway's long-time agent and business partner, tragically died last week after succumbing to the traumatic injuries he sustained by falling off the back of a golf cart in La Quinta, California four days earlier.
To add to the tragedy, the legendary Denver Broncos quarterback had been the one driving the vehicle near The Madison Club. Others present included Elway's girlfriend, the Hall of Famer's son and daughter-in-law, as well as Sperbeck and his wife, Cori, according to 9News. Elway reportedly married ex-Raiders cheerleader Paige Green in 2009, but it remains unclear if they've recently split.
In any case, the group had plans to attend the outdoor Stagecoach country music festival in nearby Indio on April 26, but 9News has since learned that idea was scrapped due to unseasonably cold weather.
Instead, the three couples were included in a caravan of three-to-four golf carts carrying between 10 and 15 people on a quarter-mile trip from a private function at the Madison Club to Elway's home on the resort.
Elway was driving the golf cart at the rear of the caravan with his girlfriend seated alongside, according to 9News. Prior to departing, Sperbeck suggested to his wife that she should sit up front with Elway and his girlfriend, while offering to stand on the back of the cart alongside another passenger, Johnny Devenanzio.
No swerving or horseplay took place, sources told 9News, but somehow, Sperbeck fell backwards, instantly hitting his head on the ground. Devenanzio yelled for Elway to stop the cart, which Elway did, allowing Cori to rush over to her husband.
Sperbeck was still breathing, although the severity of his injury was instantly apparent, 9News reported.
It was Elway who called 9-1-1 and Sperbeck was rushed to a nearby hospital.
The tragedy is not being blamed on anyone, 9News is reporting, and is instead being considered a horrific, unintended disaster.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Office agreed, writing in a statement: 'There is nothing to indicate that this is anything more than a tragic accident.'
Sperbeck was an organ donor and several recipients for his organs have already been found, a source told 9News.
Sperbeck didn't represent Elway during the beginning of the signal caller's NFL career when he was drafted in 1983, previously quipping that 'John's older than me, I was still in college.'
Instead, the sports agent came into Elway's life in 1990, when Elway was already a star for the Denver Broncos. While Elway dominated on the field, winning two Super Bowls with the Broncos, Sperbeck helped the Hall of Famer establish his off-field empire.
Overseeing Elway's marketing and business ventures, which included restaurants and car dealerships, Sperbeck ultimately became his partner. In 2013, the pair collaborated with winemaker Rob Mondavi Jr. to co-found 7Cellars - 15 years after Elway hung up his cleats and retired from the NFL.
Before 7Cellars launched, the duo had already developed a successful chain of Elway's steakhouses throughout the Mile High City with restaurateur Tim Schmidt - including one at the Ritz Carlton in Downtown.
And it was over a bottle of Château Lafite 1998 – the year Elway won his second Super Bowl – that the pair began to hatch a plan to begin fermenting their own grapes.
The idea was to create their own range of wines to be served at Elway's restaurants to pair with his steaks. 7Cellars was launched 10 years after they opened their first steakhouse.
Sperbeck came on board with Elway as his marketing agent, handling his extensive endorsement deals and campaigns rather than is contract with the Broncos franchise.
This, he claimed, allowed them to develop their bond. He believed there was a lot more 'connectivity' between himself and his marketing clients, which also included Ronnie Lott, rather than his contract negotiations.
Through his role, he spent a lot of time with Elway and from there, their friendship bloomed.
'That's where the trust develops, through all these deals,' Sperbeck claimed, while speaking on the Wine Time Fridays podcast in 2023.
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