Adidas will launch an inquiry into charges of wrongdoing leveled against Kanye West, with whom the business parted ways in October.
Adidas stated on Thursday that “it is currently not clear whether the accusations made in an anonymous letter are true. However, we take these allegations very seriously and have decided to immediately launch an independent investigation of the matter to address the allegations.”
Following claims that Adidas board members tolerated unethical behavior by the musician, who legally changed his name to Ye, in collaboration with his Yeezy line, the company issued a statement.
On Tuesday, Rolling Stone reported receiving a letter from former high-ranking Yeezy staffers to executive board members concerning “the toxic and chaotic environment that Kanye West created.” The letter said, “This type of response from a brand partner is one that Adidas employees should never be subjected to, nor should Adidas leadership ever tolerate.”
Adidas cut ties with Ye after he made a slew of anti-Semitic comments in recent months. In late October, West addressed the antisemitic remarks and what he’s said about George Floyd and Black Lives Matter in a meandering 16-minute video uploaded on YouTube by WmgLab Records and presumably made after Adidas broke its commercial ties with him.
“I think Adidas felt like cause everyone was ganging up on me that they had the right to just take my designs,” West told a small crowd.
West did not apologize for his antisemitic words in the video, but he did appear to separate himself from any “hate group.”
“I have no association to any hate group,” West said as he closed his remarks in prayer. “If any hate happens upon any Jewish person, it is not associated (gestures to himself) because I am demanding that everyone walk in love.”
Adidas has been working with West since 2013, when the business acquired his brand from competitor Nike. Adidas increased its agreement with the rapper in 2016, calling it the “most important alliance ever formed between a non-athlete and an athletic brand.”
West is not currently represented by an attorney or publicist in this issue.