Adidas investigating Kanye West’s inappropriate conduct as claimed by employees

Adidas AG reportedly launched a probe after claims of Kanye West’s toxic behavior surfaced. It was alleged that when the American rapper was still in partnership with the German sneaker, clothing, and accessories manufacturer, he exhibited misconduct toward the staff when he was in the office.

Adidas released a statement last week and said the allegations against West reached the management when a letter titled “The Truth About Yeezy: A Call to Action for Adidas Leadership” detailed his inappropriate behavior was sent to the company. The brand said it is still not certain if the claims are true, but it has made the decision to investigate the case as they take this matter very seriously.

The company said that they also want to address the allegations at once thus, an independent probe has been put in place. As per CNN Business, Adidas’ statement comes after Rolling Stone published an article that stated that the board members of the company turned a blind eye to West’s unbecoming behavior at the height of their collaboration with the Yeezy brand.

Rolling Stone reported that some high-ranking employees who previously worked for Yeezy sent the letter to executive board members and the new CEO of Adidas. They urged them to tackle “the toxic and chaotic environment that Kanye West created.”

The employees who at that time were still working with West under the Yeezy partnership with Adidas further claimed the rapper displayed “a very sick pattern of predacious behavior toward women.” The publication said it has obtained a copy of the letter and posted an excerpt that highlighted West’s conduct.

“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,” they wrote in the scathing letter. “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 already cut ties with West last month, but it has nothing to do with the claims. The collaboration ended due to his series of antisemitic comments. In any case, BBC News mentioned that one of West’s distasteful actions included showing the employees photos of his nude ex-wife Kim Kardashian and his homemade explicit videos.

In the latest report by CNBC, it was said that for years, employees at Adidas already raised concerns about Kanye West’s conduct. In 2018, the board and a group of employees were said to have touched on the risks that they faced by merely interacting with the rapper.

However, the executives did not cut ties with West even when it was one of the considered countermeasures due to his behavior. Adidas continued to meet with the rapper instead and held on to the collaboration. In any case, the company is now investigating this issue and promised to take action based on the conclusions.

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