Adidas launches investigation into misconduct allegations against Kanye West

By Chantal Da Silva -

Adidas has launched an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior against Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, the German sports brand announced on Thursday.

Adidas, which was one of several companies to cut ties with Ye after the artist made a series of anti-Semitic comments, announced that it launched the investigation after reviewing an anonymous letter making allegations against him.

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"It is currently unclear whether the allegations made in an anonymous letter are true," Adidas said in a statement.

"However, we take these allegations very seriously and have made the decision to launch an independent investigation into the matter immediately to address the allegations."

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The announcement comes after Rolling Stone magazine detailed allegations of incidents of inappropriate behavior by Ye towards staff members and potential workers, including allegations that the rapper had shown workers nude photos of his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian. . 

The magazine reported that several former employees had sent an anonymous letter to Adidas alleging that the company's senior leadership had turned a "blind eye" to Ye's behaviour.

NBC News, sister network to Noticias Telemundo, has not seen or independently verified the letter.

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NBC News could not immediately reach representatives for Ye.

In its statement, Adidas also noted its decision last month to cut ties with Ye after his anti-Semitic comments.

Kanye West arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar party on February 9, 2020, in Beverly Hills, California. Evan Agostini / Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

"Adidas does not tolerate hate speech and offensive behavior and has therefore ended the partnership with adidas Yeezy," it said.

“We have been and continue to be actively engaged in discussions with our employees about the events that led to our decision to end the partnership.

They have our full support and while we are working out the details of the completion.”

Balenciaga and prominent talent agency CAA were also among the companies that ended their relations with Ye over his comments.

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Adidas joined the decision after users on social media began protesting the sports brand after an anti-Semitic hate group hung a banner over a Los Angeles freeway on Saturday reading "Kanye's right." about the Jews."

Local politicians, social media users, and other celebrities also denounced the incident.

Ye also had his Twitter and Instagram accounts temporarily restricted after posting anti-Semitic messages.

Documents reviewed by NBC News recently showed Ye also paid a settlement to a former employee who alleged he used anti-Semitic language in the workplace.

Meanwhile, several people who had worked with the rapper or seen him in professional settings in the past five years said they had heard him praise Adolf Hitler or mention conspiracy theories about the Jewish people.