AUBURN, Alabama — Auburn did not clear safety C.J. Harris to play football and rescinded its offer for a preferred walk-on spot because of a pre-existing medical condition, a source tells Auburn Undercover.

Harris grabbed headlines this week when news spread Harris was ineligible to play because the NCAA does not allow players to ingest cannabis oil, even on a prescription basis. Harris has epilepsy and uses the oil every six hours for treatment. The Warner Robins, Georgia native claims he has been seizure-free since January 20, 2017 because of the oil.

Auburn’s team physician did not clear Harris due to the pre-existing medical conditions, a source close to the Auburn football program said. The Auburn medical staff was concerned about the epilepsy and wanted to protect his well being in a full-contact sport that could lead to head trauma, the source said.

Harris’ use of medicinal cannabis oil was not the issue at the time, the source said. The prescription was never discussed by Auburn’s medical staff because he was not cleared after reviewing his medical history.

Harris was alerted he could not play at Auburn by safeties coach Greg Brown in recent weeks, according to WXGA-TV.

"I broke down," Harris told WXGA-TV. "This is my dream. I saw everything lining up perfectly for me."

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Harris is exploring junior colleges and NAIA schools to play football, and is also exploring alternative medicines so he could play football and pass a drug test, according to WXGA-TV.

"You're taking something away from a kid who's worked so hard in his life to get there," his father, Curtis Harris, said, according to WXGA-TV. "And you're just taking it away because he's taking a medication that's helping with his disability."

Harris played for Warner Robins (Georgia) High and the team won a state championship with him starting at safety. He announced Feb. 6 he was offered a preferred walkon spot at Auburn. Auburn has not offered an official statement on Davis' status.

Harris’ story prompted Georgia State Representative Heath Clark to push for the legalization of growing medical marijuana in the state to help people like Harris.

"(CJ's) dreams have been fulfilled. He has a future,” Clark said at the time, according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. “He's going to get a quality education at that school across the Georgia border. But I want to urge Congress to change the laws and change the scheduling of marijuana to allow for medical research and medical purposes. It's time for Congress to act.”

Clark continues to fight for Harris today.

The prescription cannabis oil was not allowed on the grounds of Warner Robins High, so CJ’s father drove to the school and provided him a dose during lunchtime every day off of campus at their home.

Harris appears to have talked to community colleges in Mississippi, according to a string of text messages between Brown and Harris' father that were shown on the WXGA-TV telecast.

The Epilepsy Foundation asked the NCAA in a statement Friday to make an exception to their rules and allow Harris to play college football. The cannabis oil contains small doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which registers on drug tests and is not allowed by the NCAA.

"We urge the NCAA to review their existing guidelines on THC and explore possible exceptions to allow players under medical treatment, like C.J., the ability to fulfill their dreams of playing college football," said Phil Gattone, the Epilepsy Foundation president and CEO. "We hope the NCAA would reconsider their decision and assess C.J. on his character and talent as a football player."

Auburn softball player Tannon Snow sat out the entire 2017 season due to an epilepsy diagnosis. Nearly one year of finding the correct combination of medication to properly treat seizures led to Auburn clearing the player to play softball.

Clearance for a football player battling seizures at Auburn, however, would be much tougher because of the medical staff's concerns for head injuries in the tackle sport.