Ashley Banks
All I ever wanted was the world
A reason is not an excuse, it is the reason that they did what they did.
The reason for an action has nothing to do with what someone could have done or what they should have done. It is why they did what they did. Just because someone doesn't think its enough doesn't change the reason they did it.
Now once somebody tries to justify it, then it becomes an excuse. If they try to say they aren't wrong because of missing something, then it becomes an excuse.
In this case, any "reason" is an excuse. Because cheating is a choice, so it's avoidable. When people give reasons for an action it's because they had no other options and could only do one thing. When people give excuses for an action, they have other options but chose what was convenient for them
and giving a reason for doing something is an attempt to justify doing it.