Police Clear Arizona Players Nadeau, Stewart

University of Arizona football players Jeff Nadeau and Derrick Stewart, both with ties to the Valley, have been cleared as suspects in two separate shooting incidents, according to Tucson police.

Stewart, a cornerback and a 1991 Granada Hills High graduate, had been identified by witnesses as a passenger in a car from which five shots were fired in front of a Tucson nightclub Nov. 19, according to police. The bullets struck another vehicle, and a woman was struck by flying glass or bullet fragments.

All-conference safety Brandon Sanders, who had been identified as the driver, also has been cleared.

Nadeau, a receiver from Monroe who won the 1993 State high jump championship with a City Section record 7-2 1/4 leap as a senior, had been identified as the assailant in a Nov. 17 incident in which shots were fired and a man was pistol-whipped, police said.

“Under the burden of proof of the law, we now have no suspects,” Tucson police Det. Anthony Daykin said.

Still, Stewart’s legal troubles are far from over. He is scheduled to stand trial in January for allegedly breaking a man’s jaw in May. He was cited for misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct charges in that incident.

Nadeau is currently on three years’ probation after a disorderly conduct-domestic violence incident involving his girlfriend.

As part of his sentence following a guilty plea, Nadeau was ordered to attend counseling and perform community service after charges were reduced from three counts of aggravated assault and one count of kidnapping.