Adidas launches inquiry into Kanye West after rapper's alleged inappropriate behavior towards staffers
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The leading athletic brand Adidas has initiated a formal investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior against Ye, the rapper, earlier known as Kanye West. The German sports maker announced the decision on Thursday, November 24, as it is among one of several brands to sever their ties with West since he made a series of antisemitic comments.
Adidas' decision came in the wake of an anonymous letter they reviewed alleging comments made by him. "It is currently not clear whether the accusations made in an anonymous letter are true. However, we take these allegations very seriously and have taken the decision to launch an independent investigation of the matter immediately to address the allegations," Adidas said in a statement. Earlier, Rolling Stone magazine reported detailed allegations of incidents of inappropriate behavior by West towards staff members and prospective workers. This includes accusations that the rapper had shared with workers nude photos of his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, reports NBC News.
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The piece published in the Rolling Stone alleged that a number of the anonymous letters were sent to the sporting brand complaining that they reached out to senior leaders at the firm but they had turned a "blind eye" to Ye’s antics. One of the many letters obtained by the outlet read, “He has, in years past, exploded at women in the room with offensive remarks, and would resort to sexually disturbing references when providing design feedback. This type of response from a brand partner is one that Adidas employees should never be subjected to, nor should Adidas leadership ever tolerate.”
These letters were titled, “The Truth About Yeezy: A Call to Action for Adidas Leadership” — accusing the firm of lacking “responsibility, accountability, and protection that Adidas failed to provide their employees throughout what we experienced as years of verbal abuse, vulgar tirades, and bullying attacks.”
Adidas formally cut all its ties with the ‘Stronger’ rapper post his antisemitic public remarks in October. “Adidas does not tolerate hate speech and offensive behavior and therefore has terminated the Adidas Yeezy partnership. We have been and continue to be actively engaged in conversations with our employees about the events that lead to our decision to end the partnership," it said in a statement. “They have our full support and as we’re working through the details of the termination."
Balenciaga and leading talent agency CAA were among other major names to distance themselves from Ye over his comments. The rapper’s social media handles were also temporarily suspended, including his Twitter and Instagram accounts for the same reason.