© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Rapper Kanye West requires a query from the group as he holds his first rally in assist of his presidential bid in North Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. July 19, 2020. REUTERS/Randall Hill
By Akriti Sharma
(Reuters) -Adidas AG on Thursday mentioned it has launched an investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct by Kanye West, after the German sporting items maker final month ended its partnership with the rapper and clothier.
Adidas (OTC:) mentioned it initiated the probe after receiving an nameless letter making a number of allegations in opposition to the musician, who now goes by Ye.
The investigation follows a report by Rolling Stone journal that detailed alleged incidents of inappropriate conduct by Ye towards workers and potential workers. Rolling Stone cited interviews with greater than two dozen former Yeezy and Adidas workers.
In keeping with the journal, former members of the workforce despatched an nameless letter to Adidas during which they mentioned senior leaders on the firm have been conscious of Ye’s conduct, however had turned a “blind eye” and “turned their ethical compass off.”
“It’s presently not clear whether or not the accusations made in an nameless letter are true,” an Adidas spokesperson mentioned in a press release to Reuters.
“Nevertheless, we take these allegations very critically and have taken the choice to launch an unbiased investigation of the matter instantly to handle the allegations.”
Ye couldn’t be instantly be reached for remark. Information of the probe was first reported by the Monetary Occasions on Thursday.
Union Funding, which owns a 0.76% stake in Adidas, wrote to the corporate asking for extra details about the claims.
“Adidas must disclose when the administration and the supervisory board was first knowledgeable in regards to the inner allegations,” Janne Werning, who heads ESG Capital Markets & Stewardship at Union Funding, mentioned in a press release to Reuters.
Ye has courted controversy in latest months by publicly ending main company tie-ups and making outbursts on social media in opposition to different celebrities. His Twitter and Instagram accounts have been restricted, with the social media platforms eradicating a few of his posts that customers condemned as antisemitic.
