John Elway has broken his silence about the accidental death of his longtime agent from injuries he suffered when he fell out of a golf cart being driven by the NFL great.
Jeff Sperbeck died in California on Wednesday, days after the accident happened as he and Elway left an after-party at the Stagecoach music festival on Sunday night.
Elway was driving the cart at the time, and at some point during their ride, Sperbeck fell out of the vehicle and was injured.
“I am absolutely devastated and heartbroken by the passing of my close friend, business partner and agent Jeff Sperbeck,” Elway wrote in a statement 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.
Sperbeck, 62, was taken for treatment at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where he was put on life support but eventually died on Wednesday morning.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident, but there is no indication that Elway was driving recklessly at the time.
Sperbeck started representing Elway in 1990 and represented hundreds of NFL players during his career. He and Elway also started a wine label together in 2015 called 7Cellars.
Elway and Sperbeck’s families were close.
“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 wrote. “Jeff will be deeply missed for the loyalty, wisdom, friendship and love he brought into my life and the lives of so many others.”
Sperbeck’s family also issued their own statement.
“We are deeply saddened to share the passing of our beloved Jeff Sperbeck. He was a wonderful father, husband, brother, son and friend to many and will be profoundly missed by all,” they wrote in a joint statement. “We are grieving this unimaginable loss as a family alongside our dearest friends the Elway’s and the many other clients Jeff called friends.”
The Sperbeck family said it was “grateful for the overwhelming outpouring of support that we have received and ask for privacy for our family at this difficult time.”
