Johnny Bench Apologizes for Antisemitic Joke at Reds Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench has issued an apology for making an antisemitic joke during the Cincinnati Reds' Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday to honor former Reds general manager Gabe Paul and former pitchers Danny Graves and Bronson Arroyo.

"I recognize my comment was insensitive," Bench said in a statement Sunday. "I apologized to Jennie [Paul] for taking away from her father the full attention he deserves. Gabe Paul earned his place in the Reds Hall of Fame, same as the others who stood on that stage, I am sorry that some of the focus is on my inappropriate remark instead of solely on Gabe's achievement."

Following the induction, Pete Rose said Gabe Paul signed him for $400 per month out of high school, to which Paul's daughter, Jennie replied, "That's cheap."

Bench was then heard from across the stage saying, "He was Jewish." Jennie Paul said she didn't hear the comment at the time.

"I didn't even hear him say that," she said. "Johnny came up and said 'Were you offended?' and I said 'For what?' I didn't even hear him say that. I suppose if I would've heard him say that, I would've said something, but I didn't even hear him say that."

While Paul noted she was raised by her mother as Episcopalian, she said the majority of her father's 12 children practiced Judaism, and he had a very strong faith. She went on to say that being Jewish cost Gabe Paul a chance at becoming MLB commissioner.

"It did follow him his whole baseball career because a lot of people didn't know he was Jewish," she said. "They turned down the commissionership because he was Jewish. A lot of people don't know that either. They wanted him to run for the commissioner when [General William D.] Eckert was elected. And he didn't want to because he didn't think he'd get the vote because he was Jewish. And then he thought if he did get the vote, he'd be discriminated against because he was Jewish."

The Reds have yet to comment on the matter involving Bench and the Paul family.