Reds legend Johnny Bench apologized Sunday for an antisemitic comment he made Saturday during a team event.
Bench was in attendance as the team inducted former general manager Gabe Paul and former pitchers Danny Graves and Bronson Arroyo into the Reds’ Hall of Fame. At one point, Bench made a joke about the late Paul, who was Jewish.
“I recognize my comment was insensitive,” Bench said in a statement. “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.”
