Crime & Safety
‘Tragic Accident’: What Authorities Are Saying About The Death Of John Elway’s Agent
As the Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigates the death of Elway's agent, authorities have released few details about the case.
LA QUINTA, CA — Less than a week after NFL legend John Elway’s agent Jeff Sperbeck died during a golf outing, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said the case appears to be a “tragic incident.”
However, the investigation remains ongoing, the department noted.
"At this point, there is nothing to indicate that this is anything more than a tragic accident," the department posted to X on Friday afternoon.
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Sperbeck, agent, friend and business partner of the former Denver Broncos quarterback, died Wednesday after falling off a golf cart in La Quinta on Saturday that was reportedly being driven by Elway.
Sperbeck, a 62-year-old resident of San Clemente, died shortly after 1 a.m. at the Palm Springs Desert Regional Medical Center, according to the county coroner's report.
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Days after Sperbeck's death, authorities have maintained they don't believe there was any foul play at this point.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told The Denver Post Friday that medical personnel at the scene did not find any evidence that Elway was intoxicated while driving the golf cart.
"I am absolutely devastated and heartbroken by the passing of my close friend, business partner and agent Jeff Sperbeck," Elway said in a statement Wednesday, according to ESPN. "There are no words to truly express the profound sadness I feel with the sudden loss of someone who has meant so much to me.
On Saturday, shortly after 7 p.m., Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department was called to The Madison Golf Club, at the 53200 block of Humboldt Boulevard. Firefighters arrived to find a man had fallen from a golf cart, according to department spokesperson Maggie Cline De La Rosa.
"When the engine arrived on scene, it was noted that he had suffered serious injuries and was transported to the trauma center," she told Patch that day.
Sperbeck had been sitting in the passenger's seat when he fell off and hit his head on the asphalt, TMZ and ESPN reported.
Sperbeck first became Elway's manager in 1990.
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