Former Denver Broncos quarterback and executive John Elway was the driver of a golf cart from which his friend and business partner Jeff Sperbeck fell, hitting his head on the concrete and later dying at the hospital after being placed on life support.
Police have offered few details about the Broncos legend’s culpability.
Eyewitness testimony, per The U.S. Sun’s Jessica Finn, claims Sperbeck and another passenger, reality TV star Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio, were both riding on the back of the cart.
Per Finn on May 1, an insider saw “no indication” of “wrongdoing,” characterizing it as a “freak accident,” and that the 64-year-old former Broncos QB, Elway, was “not drinking” at the time due to the recent death of his sister, Lee Ann, following a bout with pancreatic cancer.
Elway released a statement, though the Broncos legend did not address the circumstance
“Jeff just fell backward off the golf cart. He fell in a really bad way, and there was just a lot of blood,” the source said, per Finn. “They weren’t even driving erratically, or speeding, Jeff just fell off balance.
“John was not drinking because his sister just died from pancreatic cancer.”
Per Finn’s report, Devenanzio attempted to assist Sperbeck, Elway’s “best friend,” dealing with the excessive blood and offering comfort as they awaited emergency services.
The incident occurred at The Madison Club in La Quinta, California, on Saturday, April 26, per TMZ. News broke that Sperbeck had died on April 30. Details continue to emerge, but two critical pieces of information already have.
In addition to Elway supposedly not drinking, the source told Finn police never arrived.
Police ‘Never Came’ After John Elway’s Business Partner Fell
GettyFormer Denver Broncos executive John Elway’s long-time business partner, Jeff Sperbeck, died during an incident involving a golf cart.
An eyewitness to the aftermath spoke with KESQ’s Blake Arthur and described what they saw upon arriving “about one minute” after the incident took place. Among the notes, the former Broncos QB, Elway, was on the phone trying to reach emergency services.
Sperbeck’s wife, Cori, was “hysterical,” the witness said.
“We got there, and he was, unfortunately, lying on the ground, and there were people surrounding him, just trying to make sure he was okay, and people were on the phone just trying to get help there as soon as they possibly could,” the witness told Arthur on April 29. “As we were leaving, we heard the ambulance coming in, so it must have been probably 5 minutes.
“[Elway] was on the phone, trying to call 911, call anyone.”
That aligns with what the insider told Finn, while noting the police were not present at the scene.
“The police never came. They never did an initial police report,” the insider told Finn. “The ambulance came, and that was it. Why weren’t police there?”
Former Broncos QB John Elway Not Named Suspect in Friend’s Death
GettyFormer Broncos QB John Elway is mired in the untimely death of his long-time friend, Jeff Sperbeck.
Statements from the Riverside Sheriff’s Office provided little clarity about the situation, including whether or not Elway was a suspect.
The former Broncos QB, Elway, has not been charged with Sperbeck’s death.
“The Riverside Sheriff’s Office was informed of the incident on Monday, April 28th, and opened an investigation,” public information officer Lt. Deirdre Vickers stated in an e-mail, per 9News’ Mike Klis on April 30. “At this time, the investigation is ongoing, and no details are available.”
Sperbeck represented Elway when the latter was a player, and claimed north of 100 clients to his credit.
The duo owned 7Cellars, which is based in California, the locale of the incident.
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