In a recent turn of events, Björn Gulden, the head of the Adidas group, has issued a public apology for his controversial comments regarding rapper Ye’s (formerly known as Kanye West) anti-Semitic statements. The apology comes after his remarks sparked outrage and criticism.
Gulden expressed his regrets for what he described as an “erroneous statement” on his part and personally conveyed his apologies to Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a major anti-Semitism association. Greenblatt made the apology public through a message on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), and Adidas confirmed the apology on the following day.
The controversy stemmed from comments Gulden made during a podcast titled ‘In Good Company’ last week. In the podcast, he suggested that Ye didn’t genuinely mean the anti-Semitic statements he made in the past year.
Ye had faced public backlash for a now-deleted Twitter post in autumn 2022 in which he made offensive remarks, including a threat to attack Jews. This controversy led Adidas to abruptly terminate its profitable collaboration with the rapper and discontinue the sale of the “Yeezy” trainer collection.
Björn Gulden, in his apology, emphasized that Adidas is “totally opposed to the abhorrent hatred expressed by Ye” in the past. The Norwegian executive, who took the helm at Adidas earlier this year, inherited this damaging case that has negatively impacted the brand’s reputation and finances. The discontinuation of Yeezy trainers resulted in a revenue loss of €1.2 billion.
An Adidas spokesperson reaffirmed the brand’s stance, stating, “Our decision to end our partnership with Ye because of his unacceptable comments and behavior was absolutely the right one.” The spokesperson added, “Our position has not changed: hate of any kind has no place in sport or society, and we remain determined to fight it.”
To address the fallout from the termination of the collaboration, Adidas has initiated the sale of some of the Yeezy stock it removed from shelves. The first wave of this sale, held in May, generated approximately €400 million in sales, with the results of a second operation in August yet to be announced.
A significant portion of the revenue generated, €110 million, was pledged to associations actively combatting racism and anti-Semitism, including the ADL, as previously announced by Adidas.
This public apology by Adidas underscores the brand’s commitment to its core values and its ongoing efforts to promote tolerance and inclusivity while condemning hate in all its forms.