Commentary: What Jon Bon Jovi said -- and didn’t say -- in letter to Bills fans

Rocker and wannabe NFL owner Jon Bon Jovi finally addressed the numerous Buffalo Bills fans outraged about his attempt to purchase their beloved team as part of an ownership group that also includes two members from Toronto.

Convinced that the group intends to move the Bills to Canada, fans have organized boycotts of Bon Jovi’s music as a means to persuade the rock icon and his partners to stay away from their team.

On Sunday, Bon Jovi tried to “clarify our intentions” in a letter published by the Buffalo News. He offered plenty of impassioned words for the fans, but fell short of saying what they really want to hear.

The letter is seven paragraphs long. All Bon Jovi really needed to say was six words -- We will not move the team -- but he did not.

You’d think the guy who changed the lives of millions with lyrics such as “I’ve seen a million faces and rocked them all” and “Your love is like bad medicine” would be able to do better than that.

He also made no mention of Toronto-based partners Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and the Rogers family, who control Rogers Communications.

This is what Bon Jovi did say about the issue of keeping the Bills in Buffalo:

“Our objective is simple: to carry on the legacy of Ralph Wilson and make the Bills successful in Buffalo.

“We are committed to working with the State, City, County and business community to identify the best possible site in the Buffalo area for a new stadium and to then develop and implement a plan to finance and build a state-of-the-art NFL stadium for the loyal Bills fans.”

The new owners actually will have no choice but to try to make the Bills successful in Buffalo for at least half a decade. The team is under lease at Ralph Wilson Stadium through 2022, although there is an exception that would let the Bills out of the agreement for just under $28.4 million in 2020.

It’s the long term that fans are concerned about. It’s nice that Bon Jovi acknowledged at least an effort to find a permanent home for the team in Buffalo, but what these people need is a promise.

Instead, they get a lot of talk about passion and commitment to success, the kind of thing any prospective owner would say.

And this: “I’m not risking it all to let you down.” Those words would sound great in a Bon Jovi power ballad, but they’re not the ones Bills fans are looking for right now.

Twitter: @chewkiii