LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) — The death of Jeff Sperbeck, a business partner and former agent for NFL Hall of Famer John Elway, after falling off a golf cart on Saturday appeared to be a “horrific accident" that didn't involve criminal activity, said Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, whose agency is investigating the incident.
Sperbeck, 62, died on Wednesday, after his injury at a Southern California golfing community. Witness Ali Simon told KESQ-TV of Palm Springs that Elway was at the scene of the crash.
“This appears to be a horrific accident,” Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told the Denver Post. “And unfortunately for all of those involved, one of the people – well, a couple of them – happen to be very high-profile celebrities. And that makes this more of an issue than it probably should be.”
Elway, who played his whole career on the Denver Broncos, issued a statement saying he was devastated by the loss of his close friend.
Here is what we know about the incident.
Riverside County fire authorities were called to The Madison Club, an upscale country club and residential community in the desert community of La Quinta near Palm Springs, on Saturday evening for a report of a person suffering serious injuries after falling off a golf cart.
Sperbeck was then taken to the hospital, and he died early Wednesday from his injuries.
Elway was at the scene of the crash, witness Ali Simon told KESQ-TV. Simon said she did not see the accident occur, but saw a man lying on the ground surrounded by people and Elway on the phone.
TMZ has reported that Elway was driving the golf cart, citing unidentified sources. KUSA-TV in Denver also cited an unnamed source saying Elway was driving.
Law enforcement officials have not said who was driving the golf cart, and Elway did not confirm or deny it in a statement about Sperbeck's death.
Medical personnel at the scene didn’t find evidence suggesting Elway was drunk, Bianco told the Denver Post. He did not elaborate about how personnel reached that conclusion.
Bianco said first responders didn't immediately call the sheriff's office to the scene, and typically would notify law enforcement if there were a concern. He said his agency got involved following media interest in the case and is reviewing surveillance footage and witness testimony. The investigation will be short, he said.
Ed Obayashi, Modoc County deputy sheriff and special prosecutor, said law enforcement might not initially be called to investigate an injury involving a single person, for example, who falls down the stairs or from a bicycle.
But if a death occurs, Obayashi said law enforcement officials are typically asked to investigate so the coroner can complete a thorough report.
“It could be a matter of routine, or there may be some information they received that requires them to investigate it,” said Obayashi, who trains law enforcement officials on legal issues.
Elway’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg, told Colorado’s 9NEWS it was an accident.
“The investigation has confirmed what we already knew: This was a tragic accident and sometimes things happen in life that we will never comprehend,“ Steinberg said.
Sperbeck, who is from the Orange County seaside community of San Clemente, began managing Elway in 1990, when Elway was quarterback for the Denver Broncos. He represented more than 100 NFL players during a three-decade career as an agent and business adviser.
He was best known as Elway’s longtime friend, business partner and agent who helped manage the Hall of Famer’s extensive off-field business empire, which included restaurants, car dealerships and a winery.
“We are grieving this unimaginable loss as a family alongside our dearest friends the Elway’s and the many other clients Jeff called friends," the Sperbeck family said in a statement.
Sperbeck managed Elway’s marketing and business ventures, and the two collaborated with winemaker Rob Mondavi Jr. in 2015 to co-found 7Cellars by John Elway. Sperbeck was also involved in numerous charitable endeavors and co-founded a sports marketing firm.
Elway issued a statement following Sperbeck’s death.
“I am absolutely devastated and heartbroken by the passing of my close friend, business partner and agent Jeff Sperbeck,” he said. “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.”
FILE - John Elway, Denver Broncos president of football operations, looks on before an NFL football game against the Washington Football Team, Oct. 31, 2021, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's photo portrait display at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery has had references to his two impeachments removed, the latest apparent change at the collection of museums he has accused of bias as he asserts his influence over how official presentations document U.S. history.
The wall text, which summarized Trump's first presidency and noted his 2024 comeback victory, was part of the museum's “American Presidents” exhibition. The description had been placed alongside a photograph of Trump taken during his first term. Now, a different photo appears without any accompanying text block, though the text was available online. Trump was the only president whose display in the gallery, as seen Sunday, did not include any extended text.
The White House did not say whether it sought any changes. Nor did a Smithsonian statement in response to Associated Press questions. But Trump ordered in August that Smithsonian officials review all exhibits before the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4. The Republican administration said the effort would “ensure alignment with the president’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.”
Trump's original “portrait label," as the Smithsonian calls it, notes Trump's Supreme Court nominations and his administration's development of COVID-19 vaccines. That section concludes: “Impeached twice, on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection after supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, he was acquitted by the Senate in both trials.”
Then the text continues: “After losing to Joe Biden in 2020, Trump mounted a historic comeback in the 2024 election. He is the only president aside from Grover Cleveland (1837– 1908) to have won a nonconsecutive second term.”
Asked about the display, White House spokesman Davis Ingle celebrated the new photograph, which shows Trump, brow furrowed, leaning over his Oval Office desk. Ingle said it ensures Trump's “unmatched aura ... will be felt throughout the halls of the National Portrait Gallery.”
The portrait was taken by White House photographer Daniel Torok, who is credited in the display that includes medallions noting Trump is the 45th and 47th president. Similar numerical medallions appear alongside other presidents' painted portraits that also include the more extended biographical summaries such as what had been part of Trump's display.
Sitting presidents are represented by photographs until their official paintings are commissioned and completed.
Ingle did not answer questions about whether Trump or a White House aide, on his behalf, asked for anything related to the portrait label.
The gallery said in a statement that it had previously rotated two photographs of Trump from its collection before putting up Torok's work.
“The museum is beginning its planned update of the America’s Presidents gallery which will undergo a larger refresh this Spring,” the gallery statement said. “For some new exhibitions and displays, the museum has been exploring quotes or tombstone labels, which provide only general information, such as the artist’s name.”
For now, references to Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton being impeached in 1868 and 1998, respectively, remain as part of their portrait labels, as does President Richard Nixon's 1974 resignation as a result of the Watergate scandal.
And, the gallery statement noted, “The history of Presidential impeachments continues to be represented in our museums, including the National Museum of American History.”
Trump has made clear his intentions to shape how the federal government documents U.S. history and culture. He has offered an especially harsh assessment of how the Smithsonian and other museums have featured chattel slavery as a seminal variable in the nation's development but also taken steps to reshape how he and his contemporary rivals are depicted.
In the months before his order for a Smithsonian review, he fired the head archivist of the National Archives and said he was firing the National Portrait Gallery's director, Kim Sajet, as part of his overhaul. Sajet maintained the backing of the Smithsonian's governing board, but she ultimately resigned.
At the White House, Trump has designed a notably partisan and subjective “Presidential Walk of Fame” featuring gilded photographs of himself and his predecessors — with the exception of Biden, who is represented by an autopen — along with plaques describing their presidencies.
The White House said at the time that Trump himself was a primary author of the plaques. Notably, Trump's two plaques praise the 45th and 47th president as a historically successful figure while those under Biden's autopen stand-in describe the 46th executive as “by far, the worst President in American History” who “brought our Nation to the brink of destruction.”
Barrow reported from Atlanta.
People react to a photograph of President Donald Trump on display at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery's "American Presidents" exhibit on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Visitors to the National Portrait Gallery walk past the portrait of President Donald Trump, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Visitors stop to look at a photograph of President Donald Trump and a short plaque next to it are on display at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery's "American Presidents" exhibit on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
A photograph of President Donald Trump and a short plaque next to it are on display at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery's "American Presidents" exhibit on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Anna Johnson)
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
