Von Miller, Urine Collector Reportedly Attempted to Corrupt NFL Drug Test Sample

Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller is in the midst of serving a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, and details surrounding his ban came to light on Sunday.

It was revealed that he and a urine collector attempted to corrupt the NFL's drug-testing procedure, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen. 

Miller was initially suspended for four games, but league officials eventually became aware that Miller and a urine collector colluded to submit a third-party urine sample in place of Miller's. While Miller nearly got away with it, a second collector realized that Miller was not present in the city where he was supposed to be tested, so the scheme was ultimately uncovered.

The urine collector who attempted to aid Miller was reportedly fired by Drug Free Sport, which is the company that collects the samples on behalf of the NFL. The NFL Players Association initially intended to appeal Miller's four-game suspension; however, a six-game suspension was accepted following the uncovering of Miller's plan.

A year-long suspension was reportedly considered, but the league settled on six games due to the fact that the urine collector was deemed to have been as liable for the incident as Miller was.

If nothing else, this incident has prompted both the NFL and Drug Free Sport to take a long, hard look at testing protocol.

According to Schefter and Mortensen, the urine collector decided to help Miller because he was "star struck" by the two-time Pro Bowler. A source told Schefter and Mortensen that they are "reasonably certain" no money changed hands between Miller and the urine collector.

Miller's attempted circumvention of the NFL's substance-abuse policy is already a hot topic of conversation as evidenced by the debate regarding it on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown. Longtime Broncos linebacker Tom Jackson was especially outspoken and suggested that his relationship with Miller may change significantly.

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"I like Von Miller, but this might do damage to our relationship" - A very candid Tom Jackson on Sunday NFL Countdown

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 22, 2013"

While six games is certainly a long time to be suspended, it can be argued that Miller dodged a bullet after committing such an egregious offense.

Following the Aug. 20 announcement of his suspension, Miller released a statement, per Mike Klis of The Denver Post:

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Von Miller on suspension: "The Substances of Abuse policy requires everyone to comply with the rules. Although my suspension doesn’t result

— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) August 20, 2013"

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More Von Miller: "a positive test, there is no excuse for my violations of the rules. I made mistakes and my suspension has hurt my team,

— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) August 20, 2013"

It may take some time for teammates and fans to forgive Miller, but the best thing he can do at this point is return in Week 7 and produce immediately.

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