Ohioan winger Shawn Riley played in Major League Rugby between 2019-2020. He represented the NOLA Gold for his entire MLR career.

A native of Wooster, OH, Shawn Riley attended Notre Dame College, represented their rugby team as well as Southern Pines RFC at club level. He represented the Ohio Aviators during the short-lived PRO Rugby competition in 2016. Riley joined the NOLA Gold in 2019, earning his MLR debut and 2 appearances (1 start) during the season and returned for the Gold the following year, impressing in the pre-season and earning another 1 start in 2 appearances before the MLR season was cancelled after just 5 rounds.

Riley played both Sevens and 15s at a high level, representing the USA Hawks Sevens side, and the USA South Panthers at 15s. He also returned to represent the Ohio Aviators at the World Tens Series in Bermuda in November 2020.

On 27th January 2021, the NOLA Gold confirmed that Shawn Riley had passed away at the age of 30 due to severe complications following heart surgery. In his honour, the NOLA Gold established the Shawn Riley Heart of Gold award as part of their end of season awards.