October 4, 2017
By unanimous vote, Jonathan Nethercutt of the Raleigh Flyers is the 2017 AUDL Most Valuable Player. Nethercutt helped captain the Flyers to a 13-1 regular season record and first place finish in the South Division. He joins Jonathan Helton (2012 & '13), Beau Kittredge ('14, '15), and Dylan Tunnell ('16) as the only winners of the league MVP award.
Arguably the best pure thrower in the league, Nethercutt had his most impressive season as a pro in 2017. He completed 468 throws at a clip of 94.35 percent, tossing 71 assists in the process, the third highest total in the league this season. Despite operating as Raleigh's primary quarterback on drives, Nethercutt also showed a lot of consistency as a potent playmaker downfield, scoring 13 goals and generating seven blocks. And although Nethercutt is known for his power and ability to open up the field as a passer, he was equally reliable with the disc; he was the only player in the AUDL this season with more than 500 touches and not a single drop.
Nethercutt continued his dominant play in the postseason. Despite the Flyers losing to the Dallas Roughnecks in the 2017 South Division title game, Nethercutt submitted the best all around game of his career, throwing 10 assists and hauling in five goals while also contributing six "hockey assists", making him responsible for 21 of the team's 24 goals on the game.
MVP Finalist Voting Results
1. Jonathan Nethercutt, Raleigh Flyers
2. Cassidy Rasmussen, San Francisco FlameThrowers
3. Bobby Ley, Jacksonville Cannons
4. Mark Burton, Seattle Cascades
5. Jeff Babbitt, New York Empire