Ex-Reds Player Johnny Bench Catches Heat For 'Antisemitic' Remark
People are red-hot over an 'antisemitic remark' made by MLB Hall of Famer, Johnny Bench. The former Cincinnati Red attended Saturday's Reds Hall of Fame induction press conference, set to honor former general manager Gabe Paul and pitchers Bronson Arroyo and Danny Graves.
The departed Paul (1910-1998) wore his Jewish faith on his sleeve.
Baseball player Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds. Bench hit more than 200 home runs and was the National League's Most Valuable Player on several occasions.
MLB Hall of Famer Johnny Bench Makes Antisemitic Remark
Johnny Bench made people mad for commenting on a story shared by Pete Rose about signing a $400-per-month contract with Paul and the Reds in 1960, fresh out of high school.
Bench interjected with, "He was Jewish," harkening to the insensitive "cheap" stereotype.
Many in attendance laughed while several Reds members on stage appeared stunned.
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The organization has not released a statement on the matter.
Paul was the Reds GM from 1951 to 1960 in his 14-year tenure in Cincinnati.
Gabe Paul's daughter, Jennie Paul, was in attendance at the event. She was asked about Bench's comment and attested to not hearing the remark, thus not having an opinion of the scene.
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"I didn’t even hear him say that," Jennie shared, as relayed by Fox News Digital.
"Johnny came up to me and said, ‘Were you offended?’ I was like, ‘For what?'" Paul added. "I didn’t even hear him say that. I suppose if I had heard him say that I might have said something, but I didn’t even hear him say that."
Baseball player Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds batting and scoring during an All-Star game in Kansas City, Missouri, on July 24th, 1973. (Photo by UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
Bench Apologizes; No Word From Reds
Bench later issued an apology for the remark.
"I recognize my comment was insensitive," Bench's statement read.
"I apologized to Jennie 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."
American baseball player Johnny Bench, American baseball player Joe Morgan (1943-2020), and American baseball player Pete Rose, all three play for the Cincinnati Reds, pose with baseball bats at the club's Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, 20th July 1973. (Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
Jennie also shared that despite her father's Judaism, she attended an Episcopalian church in Cincinnati growing up.
"We went to the Church of the Redeemer here in Cincinnati," Paul said.
"So when we would come back from church, he’d have this spread of food, which was lox and bagels, no gefilte fish. No borscht. He never talked about it. But it did follow him his whole baseball career because a lot of people did know he was Jewish."
Reactions to Bench's comments on social media skewered the Cooperstown player for the remark.