USADA announced today that Thomas Cawley, of Hazlet, N.J., an athlete in the sport of track & field, has accepted a four-year sanction for a non-analytical anti-doping rule violation after admitting to his prolonged use of prohibited substances. Cawley, 57, was sanctioned for his use and possession of prohibited peptide hormones, including growth hormone (GH) releasing factors (GHRFs), GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) analogs, and synthetic growth factors, from July 2011 to December 2015. These substances are in the class of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics and are prohibited at all times under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing (the ‘Protocol’), the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) National Anti-Doping Policies (USOC NADP), and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Anti-Doping Rules, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code (Code) and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.

The use of prohibited peptides by athletes and consumers for performance or physique enhancement purposes poses serious health risks, and these peptides are not approved by the FDA for human consumption. These products, often branded as for ‘research/laboratory use only’, have not received any human clinical safety or efficacy evaluation, and are not produced according to Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations. As such, they may cause serious adverse health effects, including immune and toxicity reactions, infection, and even death.

Cawley’s period of ineligibility began on June 16, 2016, the date he admitted to his anti-doping rule violations. In addition, Cawley has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to July 10, 2011, the date he first attempted to obtain prohibited substances in violation of applicable rules, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.

• This media release was originally published by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on 11 August 2016. To access the original, please click here.