Bella Hadid and Adidas controversy explained! Model hires legal team, apology letter and more

Bella Hadid has reportedly hired a legal team to file a lawsuit against Adidas "for their lack of public accountability". She has accused the athleticwear giant of "spearheading a cruel and damaging campaign".

According to TMZ, Bella, bornIsabella Khair Hadid, feels that she didn't know what she was getting herself into and she holds Adidas responsible for that. The TMZ report also stated Bella is still under contract with Adidas despite the company publicly announcing that they have dropped her.

What's the controversy?

Bella Hadid recently featured in an ad campaign for the relaunch of Adidas' SL72 sneaker. The campaign honoured the anniversary of the 1972 Olympics, which took place in Munich. However, Bella's involvement in the ad campaign raised eyebrows because she has been an outspoken advocate of Palestine amid the war with Israel. Back in 1972 at the Olympics, Palestinian terrorists had carried outan attack and killed several Israeli competitors and took nine hostages who were later murdered.

Also watch:Adidas ad featuring Bella Hadid sparks controversy, company apologises

The campaign has ignited a debate online. Some netizens are calling out the brand for hiring Bella Hadid as the face of the launch. Others are backing the model and slamming trolls for targeting the model for her nationality and views.

"Is this real??? Jew-hating Palestinian, Bella Hadid, is the face of the 1972 Munich Olympics @adidas shoes, where Palestinian terrorists slaughtered the entire Israeli team. IS THIS ACTUALLY REAL??? Is Adidas completely INSANE????," wrote an X user.

"@Adidas recently launched a new campaign for their shoes to highlight the 1972 Munich Olympics. Eleven Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics. Guess who the face of their campaign is? Bella Hadid, is a half-Palestinian model who has a history of spreading antisemitism and calling for violence against Israelis and Jews. She and her father frequently promote blood libels and antisemitic conspiracies against Jews," wrote another.

In Bella's support, another netizen wrote, "Sacking Bella Hadid because she’s Palestinian equates all acts committed by those with shared nationality. In essence, this makes every person on earth culpable, since no nation exists without criminal entities. This is peak racism @adidas. Welcome to the boycott list."

"The way Bella Hadid started the trend with the sambas, saving adidas from going downhill. Last 2-3 years, the brand was becoming trendy again, but now they ruined everything. We support Bella!" read a comment.

After massive backlash online, Adidas issued an apology letter and announced that they had removed the campaign from all their sites.

"We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events — though these are completely unintentional — and we apologise for any upset or distress caused. As a result, we are revising the remainder of the campaign. We believe in sport as a unifying force around the world and will continue our efforts to champion diversity and equality in everything we do," the brand said in a statement shared with USA TODAY Sports.