Gov. Nathan Deal is rising up.
The governor walked into his ceremonial office on Thursday with a wide grin on his face and a Matt Ryan jersey on his back.
"Hello! Is everyone ready to rise up?"
With that, he announced he was signing a proclamation declaring that Friday is Falcons Day ahead of the team's Super Bowl game against the New England Patriots.
"The Falcons are set for victory," he said, "and ready to make history."
Deal boasted of his bet with Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, predicting he'll soon be the recipient of Kofee Kup's lucky cupcakes and Legal Sea Foods clam chowder "when the Patriots lose."
(For the record, Deal countered with Brunswick Stew from Fresh Air BBQ and chocolate-covered blueberries from Byne Blueberry.)
And he urged the state's employees - all 103,706 of them - to wear Falcons gear at work on Friday.
As for the final score, Deal had a bolder prediction: The game will end with a 42-21 score. In Atlanta's favor, of course.
"After 51 long years of waiting," he said, "it's now time for Falcons fans across the nation to rise up."
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