The spouse of veteran NFL agent and John Elway’s business associate, Jeff Sperbeck, shared a touching tribute following his tragic death in a golf cart accident.
‘I will miss you everyday of my life,’ Cori Sperbeck wrote on Threads alongside a picture of the couple. ‘Thank you for loving me.’
In addition to Cori, Jeff leaves behind three children: Carly, Sam and Jackson.
Cori previously announced Jeff’s death last week, calling the 62-year-old a ‘wonderful father, husband, brother, son and friend to many.’
“We are mourning this unimaginable loss with our family, our dear friends the Elways, and the numerous clients Jeff considered friends,” stated the announcement from April 30. “We deeply appreciate the overwhelming support we have received and kindly request privacy during this challenging time.”
The cause of Sperbeck’s death was determined to be blunt head trauma after the unfortunate golf cart incident, as per a coroner’s report this week. Authorities do not suspect any foul play. He passed away the previous week due to serious injuries suffered from falling off a golf cart in La Quinta, California, four days prior.
Cori Sperbeck bid farewell to her late husband on social media following last month’s tragedy
Sperbeck tragically died after succumbing to injuries he sustained by falling off a golf cart
To add to the tragedy, the legendary Denver Broncos quarterback had been the one driving the vehicle near The Madison Club.
Others present included Elway’s girlfriend, the Hall of Famer’s son and daughter-in-law, as well as Sperbeck and his wife, Cori, according to 9News.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office has told TMZ that the Coroner’s Bureau has also ruled Sperbeck’s death an accident.
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 girlfriend seated alongside.
Prior to departing, Sperbeck suggested to his wife that she should sit up front with Elway and his girlfriend, while offering to stand on the back of the cart alongside another passenger, Johnny Devenanzio.
No swerving or horseplay took place, sources told 9News, but somehow, Sperbeck fell backwards, instantly hitting his head on the ground. Devenanzio yelled for Elway to stop the cart, which Elway did, allowing Cori to rush over to her husband.
Sperbeck was still breathing, although the severity of his injury was instantly apparent. It was Elway who called 9-1-1 and Sperbeck was rushed to a nearby hospital.
Elway later 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.
‘Jeff will be deeply missed for the loyalty, wisdom, friendship and love he brought into my life and the lives of so many others.’
John Elway’s agent and business partner Jeff Sperbeck died as a result of blunt head trauma
His wife Cori (right) has also expressed the family’s deep sadness at the ‘unimaginable loss’
Elway, who played his whole career on the Denver Broncos, hired lawyer Harvey Steinberg last week, according to Fox.
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. While Elway dominated on the field, winning two Super Bowls with the Broncos, Sperbeck helped the Hall of Famer establish his off-field empire.
They went on to form wine company 7Cellars together in 2013 – 15 years after Elway hung up his cleats and retired from the NFL.
