Inside the 35-year friendship between John Elway and agent Jeff Sperbeck that ended in tragedy after horror golf cart accident

Daily Mail​

01-05-2025

NFL legend John Elway was 'devastated and heartbroken' on Wednesday. He had lost more than just an agent, he had lost a longtime close friend.
Jeff Sperbeck, Elway's agent and business partner, tragically died Wednesday at the age of 62 after succumbing to the traumatic injuries he sustained from falling off the back of a golf cart in La Quinta, California Saturday evening.
To add to the tragedy, the legendary quarterback had been the one driving the vehicle near The Madison Club after attending the Stagecoach music festival with Sperbeck and their wives.
Still submerged in the profound sadness of losing someone who 'has meant so much,' Elway said, 'Jeff will be deeply missed for the loyalty, wisdom, friendship and love he brought into my life and the lives of so many others,' in an emotional statement Wednesday evening.
Sperbeck brought loyalty and wisdom into Elway's life through a 35-year friendship that extended beyond their business dealings.
Throughout his three-decade career as an agent, Sperbeck represented more than 100 NFL players. But for Elway, he became more than a representative.
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. And the rest was history.
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.
'I've always liked the steakhouse vibe, and love a good bone-in ribeye, but creating the wine to pair with it took a while – 7Cellars launched 10 years after we opened our first restaurant,' Elway told The Drinks Business in 2021 as he explained his desire to perfect his product, rather than rushing it to the shelves.
Elway previously revealed that former Broncos head coach Vic Fangio was one of the first to give his approval to the wine, the cabernet sauvignon in particular.
'Vic's a wine drinker,' he told Thirst Colorado, 'He likes to eat meatballs and he says they go great with the cab.'
And their business success continuously tied back to their NFL partnership.
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.
Social media posts suggest that the pair spent a lot of time together outside of their business dealings - as recently as this weekend.
Elway and Sperbeck were joined by their wives Paige and Cori as they attended the Stagecoach festival together before the tragedy unfolded.
The group was reportedly leaving an after-party when the accident occurred at the Madison Club in La Quinta, California , which is around six miles from the Empire Polo Club where the country music festival is held.
Sperbeck is said to have suffered the severe injury when he fell off the back of the moving vehicle, rolled and hit his head on asphalt.
Elway reportedly called 911 himself before paramedics arrived. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection responded to the call, as the majority of law enforcement had been working the music festival nearby.
Emergency services arrived on the scene to find Sperbeck unconscious but still breathing, TMZ said.
He was brought to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs but medics offered a bleak prognosis.
Doctors reportedly informed his family that there was 'no hope' he would recover and as of Tuesday night doctors were said to have been preparing his organs for donation.
Sperbeck (left) and Elway (second right) are pictured with a group of friends
Elway pictured with his wife Paige, who was also present at the time of the accident
An eyewitness to the tragic accident claimed Sperbeck's wife Cori was inconsolable as she opened up on the horrific scenes.
The couple only tied the knot last year. Sperbeck has three children, Carly, Sam and Jackson, from a previous relationship.
Cori and his family said in a 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.
'We are grieving this unimaginable loss as a family alongside our dearest friends the Elway's and the many other clients Jeff called friends. We are grateful for the overwhelming outpouring of support that we have received and ask for privacy for our family at this difficult time.'