A former federal prosecutor in California said he believes the sheriff's office involved in investigating the John Elway golf cart incident was either dishonest or did not do work.
Jeffrey Sperbeck, 62, of Elway, fell off the golf cart behind the golf cart at the Madison Club in La Quinta, California, according to officials. A CAL fire spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the agency responded to the incident at 6:50 p.m. on March 26. Sperbeck suffered "severe injuries" and was transported to the Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where he died Wednesday.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office investigated the golf cart incident. Elway has not been charged with any crime. Fox News Digital confirmed Friday that Elway retained Denver-based attorney Harvey Steinberg. "Nothing can indicate that it was just a tragic accident," the Riverside County Sheriff's Office said Friday night on X.
TMZ reported that Elway drove a golf cart at the time of the incident and left a behind-stage party. Public records show Elway is 10 minutes from the Madison Club.
California Sheriff learned about the John Elway golf cart incident two days later, saying it is under investigation
John Elway, president of the football business of the Denver Broncos, is ahead of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Sophie Stadium in Inglewood, California on January 2, 2022. (Jayne Kamin-oncea/USA Today campaign)
Two days after the incident, the Riverside County Sheriff's Office said it "received the message." Fox News Digital asked the sheriff's office why it wasn't known about the incident until two days later, but received no response. A CAL fire spokesman said the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office did not ask for a response to the incident “because the appeal is medical.”
Former U.S. Attorney Neama Rahmani told Fox News Digital The Riverside County Sheriff's office "either "dishonest or not doing the work" in response to why it took the agency two days to learn about the incident.
“There is no other meaning,” Rahmani added.
He said it was "weird" that law enforcement did not respond to the incident.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told Fox News Digital that he would respond to comments, maybe it was a good thing, a good thing for the 'former federal prosecutor'.
John Elway Golf Cart Incident: Former Mustang Legend Hires Attorney, Has History of Putting Athletes in a Strong Way
John Elway stands ahead of the Denver Broncos and the Cincinnati Bengals, in the December 19, 2021 game at Empower Field in Mile High, Denver, Colorado. (Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Image)
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday it would “take appropriate action based on the results of the investigation.”
According to ESPN, Elway has made public comments on the incident after his death on Wednesday.
“I was shocked and saddened by the death of my close friend, business partner and agent Jeff Sperbeck,” Elway said. “There is no words that really express the deep sorrow of the sudden loss of me by someone who means a lot to me.”
Sperbeck's family also issued a statement after his death.
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John Elway stood on the sidelines in the fourth quarter of the game held at the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers on December 1, 2019 at Empower Field in Mile High, Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmunds/Getty)
"We are very sad to share the death of our beloved Jeff Sperbeck. He is an excellent father, husband, brother, son and friend of many people whom all will miss deeply," the Sperbeck family said. "We feel an unimaginable loss with our dearest friend, Elways and many other clients, family that Jeff calls friends."
After Sperbeck became Elway's manager, Elway and Sperbeck became friends in 1990. Sperbeck's other clients include professional football Hall of Fame Ronnie Lott and Jim Plunkett, agents represent hundreds of other NFL players.
Fox News Digital approached Elway's attorney to comment.