NFL legend John Elway’s emotional call to emergency services following the tragic golf cart incident that cost the life of his agent can be heard in newly-released audio.
Jeff Sperbeck, Elway’s close friend and longtime agent, sustained a fatal head injury when he fell of the back of a golf cart, which was driven by the former quarterback, in a Southern California golfing community in April.
The 62-year-old Sperbeck was rushed to hospital but died of his injuries four days later on April 30.
Now, Elway’s efforts to get paramedics to the scene can be heard in his 911 call to Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
‘We were on a golf cart and he fell off the golf cart and he’s got a head […],’ the former Super Bowl winner explains in the April 26 audio obtained by TMZ.
While the audio is heavily redacted, Elway repeatedly explains what occurred in a calm and composed manner.
John Elway will not face charges over the death of his longtime agent and friend Jeff Sperbeck
Sperbeck is seen with his son, Jackson (left) and daughter Sam in a family photo
‘He fell off the golf cart,’ Elway says. ‘He was on the back and he fell off the golf cart.’
At one point, the dispatch on the other side of the line instructs the former NFL player to not move Sperbeck ‘unless he’s in danger.’
The former signal caller is then talked through how to stop the bleeding from his friend’s injuries and monitor his breathing.
He then passes the phone to another man, who informs the dispatch that there is a medic on the scene but they require more assistance. The emergency services operator confirms that paramedics have been dispatched and are on their way.
Sperbeck and Elway were traveling on the vehicle with their wives and it was later revealed that the former signal caller had been the one driving the cart.
Elway and the group had plans to attend the outdoor Stagecoach country music festival in nearby Indio on April 26, but 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 wife seated alongside.
His wife Cori (right) has also expressed the family’s deep sadness at the ‘unimaginable loss’
Elway pictured with his wife Paige, who was also present at the time of the accident
Prior to departing, Sperbeck suggested to his wife that she should sit up front with Elway and his wife, while offering to stand on the back of the cart alongside another passenger, Johnny Devenanzio.
Sperbeck left behind three children – Carly, Sam and Jackson – and his wife Cori.
Last week, it was confirmed that Elway will not face any charges in connection to the heartbreaking death of his friend, finally granting him and Sperbeck’s family some closure.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office has closed its investigation into the incident and is expected to announce in the coming days that its probe found no criminal activity and that Sperbeck’s death was an accident, according to 9NEWS.
‘It’s over,’ Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco told the outlet Friday. ‘We’ve talked to everyone involved and we found nothing new. There was nothing criminal, it was what we’ve been saying all along that this was a tragic accident.’
Following the tragic incident, Elway released a statement saying he was ‘absolutely devastated and heartbroken by the passing of my close friend, business partner and agent Jeff Sperbeck.
‘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.’
‘My heart and deepest sympathies go out to Jeff’s wife, Cori; his children Carly, Sam and Jackson; and everyone who knew and loved him.
Elway was a two-time Super Bowl winner during his Hall of Fame playing career
‘Jeff will be deeply missed for the loyalty, wisdom, friendship and love he brought into my life and the lives of so many others.’
Throughout his three-decade career as an agent, Sperbeck represented more than 100 NFL players. But for Elway, he became more than a representative.
The pair worked together during Elway’s Hall of Fame career as Sperbeck managed his business affairs.
They went on to form wine company 7Cellars together in 2013 – 15 years after Elway hung up his cleats and retired from the NFL.
