Atlanta students cite 'Falcons depression,' other somber excuses for tardiness

The Atlanta Falcons’ devastating Super Bowl loss was a tough pill to swallow for many Georgians, but based on their excuses for showing up late to school, area students took it especially hard.

At Greater Atlanta Christian School in Norcross, Ga., students are required to provide a written reason for their tardiness, and following the New England Patriots’ 25-point comeback on Sunday, at least a few students got pretty creative with their rationales for arriving late to school on Monday morning.

In a photo of the tardy list shared on Greater Atlanta Christian’s social media channels and picked up by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, students cited “failed to rise up” and “Falcons depression” for their lateness, with the school announcing the former as the “very best tardy excuse … ever.”

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“Rise up,” of course, has been the Falcons’ rallying cry all season.

Greater Atlanta Christian has reason to be more depressed than most, given the school’s ties to the team. Two Falcons cheerleaders are teachers at the GACS School of Ballet, and both defensive end Tyson Jackson and defensive line coach Bryan Cox have children who attend the Atlanta-area school.

It’ll be interesting to see what kind of excuses New Englanders will come up with for missing school on Tuesday, when the Patriots are scheduled to host their fifth victory parade in Boston at 11 a.m.