Reds legend Johnny Bench apologizes for antisemitic joke

Cincinnati Reds legend Johnny Bench apologized Sunday for an antisemitic joke he made during a team event the previous day.

The Reds were holding a news conference for team Hall of Fame inductions for former general manager Gabe Paul and pitchers Danny Graves and Bronson Arroyo. Pete Rose began telling a story of how Paul, who died in 1998 and was represented by his daughter, Jennie Paul, signed him for $400 per month out of high school, prompting someone to yell, "That's cheap!"

Bench interjected with, "He was Jewish!" Several people loudly laughed at the joke, though a few others, including Rose, simply looked stunned.

You can see the exchange here:

One day later, after video of the joke leaked, Bench issued an apology and called his joke "insensitive":

Bench didn't bring up Paul's Judaism randomly, as Jennie Paul had noted that her father was Jewish earlier in the news conference, per WCPO.

When reached by the Cincinnati Enquirer, Jennie said she didn't hear the joke and that Bench asked her if she was offended after the conference:

While her father was Jewish, Jennie told the Enquirer that she is not and her mother raised her as an Episcopalian. She also said that she believes her father's Judaism prevented him from becoming MLB commissioner.

Bench didn't overlap with Paul while on the Reds, as he was drafted by the team in 1965, five years after Paul resigned in 1960. Paul went on to become general manager of the Houston Colt .45s, the Cleveland Guardians and the New York Yankees, while Bench was a 14-time All-Star and Hall of Famer.