John Elway and Jeff Sperbeck.
Sperbeck died Wednesday afternoon after falling from a golf cart alongside Elway and hitting his head
Sports agent Jeff Sperbeck died Wednesday afternoon, about four days after he reportedly fell from a moving golf cart alongside longtime client and friend John Elway and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Sperbeck was 62 years old.
The Riverside Sheriff Coroner’s Office confirmed Sperbeck’s death on Wednesday, April 30, adding that next of kin has been notified. The coroner’s office said Sperbeck’s injury happened on Saturday night, shortly after 7 p.m.
Sperbeck was with Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway at the time of the incident, PEOPLE previously reported.
The 64-year-old NFL alum and former Denver Broncos general manager was business partners with Sperbeck, who was also the former quarterback’s agent during his playing days.
Local outlet KESQ reported that Sperbeck and Elway were at The Madison Club in La Quinta, Calif., on Saturday night when the incident occurred. Witnesses told the outlet that Elway was driving the cart when Sperbeck fell off the back.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office says it has launched an investigation into Sperbeck’s death, according to KESQ. PEOPLE has reached out to the sheriff’s office for more information.
TMZ reported earlier Wednesday that Sperbeck was put on life support after suffering what was described as a “traumatic brain injury” and was only able to be kept alive long enough for his organs to be donated. The outlet also reports that Elway was the one who made the initial 911 call after Sperbeck fell.
“We got there, and [Sperbeck] was unfortunately lying on the ground, and there were people surrounding him just trying to make sure he was okay,” Ali Simon, a witness, told the KESQ.
“People were on the phone just trying to get help there as soon as they possibly could. It was so scary; it was nothing like we’ve ever seen. You just don’t think you’re ever going to witness anything like that.”
Sperbeck and Elway co-founded the winery 7Cellars together. According to their business’ website, Sperbeck worked with more than 100 NFL players throughout his career as an agent, including Elway. The two-time Super Bowl champion began working with Sperbeck in 1990 and also helped the retired NFL star open several restaurants under his own name.
