New York (CNN Business) Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank has been soliciting business advice from MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. Under Armour employees were uncomfortable with the relationship, according to the newspaper, which also said that Ruhle traveled with Plank and Under Armour staff on a private jet he leases to the company.

The Journal cited a number of anonymous sources, including what it described as current and former executives, as well as "others familiar with the matter."

The newspaper reported that Plank took Ruhle's advice, rather than Under Armour management's, about how to handle customer backlash over a version of basketball star Stephen Curry's sneakers in 2016. She also advised Plank on how to deal with President Donald Trump in 2017, according to the article. Plank and other high-profile business leaders quit Trump's manufacturing council that year after Trump failed to condemn white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"Former and current executives said Mr. Plank's use of the jet and his relationship with Ms. Ruhle were among the many ways the CEO blurred the lines between his personal activities and Under Armour," the Journal reported.

Under Armour's UAA board of directors reviewed emails between the two last year, and asked Plank about the relationship and "whether company assets were used," according to the Journal. Plank told them no company funds were spent. The Journal could not determine whether the board took additional action.

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