Adidas said it launched the investigation after receiving an anonymous letter with various accusations against the musician.
Adidas has said it has launched an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior by Kanye West after the German sporting goods maker ended its partnership with the rapper and fashion designer last month.
Adidas said it launched the investigation after receiving an anonymous letter containing various allegations against the musician, who now goes by the name Ye.
The investigation follows a Rolling Stone magazine report detailing alleged incidents of inappropriate behavior by Ye towards staff and potential employees. Rolling Stone cited interviews with more than two dozen former Yeezy and Adidas employees.
According to the magazine, former team members sent an anonymous letter to Adidas saying the company’s top leaders were aware of Ye’s behavior but had “turned a blind eye” and “turned off his moral compass.”
“It is currently unclear whether the allegations made in an anonymous letter are true,” an Adidas spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters.
“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.”
Ye could not immediately be reached for comment. News of the investigation was first reported by the Financial Times on Thursday.
According to the Financial Times, Germany’s third-largest asset manager, Union Investment, wrote to Adidas on Thursday asking for more information about the claims.
Union Investment did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Ye has generated controversy in recent months by publicly ending major corporate ties and making social media outbursts against other celebrities. His Twitter and Instagram accounts were restricted, and social media platforms removed some of his posts that users condemned as anti-Semitic.