Updated

Suspended Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller reportedly collaborated with a sample collector in an attempt to beat an NFL drug test.

According to ESPN, the collector was willing to substitute another person's urine sample in place of Miller's. However, ESPN's sources said a second collector discovered that Miller was not in the city where his sample was to have been retrieved.

Miller was initially fighting a four-game suspension this summer for violations of the league's substance-abuse policy, but speculation began to circulate that the NFL was attempting to lengthen the penalty to as much as a year -- apparently because of the alleged tampering.

The NFL did increase the ban from four to six games.

Miller, the 2011 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, is not eligible to return until the Broncos' Week 7 game against Indianapolis.

ESPN said the sample collector was dismissed by the NFL.