Where are they now: Charles Mann
June 22, 2026
by Steve Thomas
Last week’s edition of “Where are they now” – which was the inaugural version – was on Washington’s legendary defensive end Dexter Manley, so it seemed only natural that that I move to the other end of the Redskins’ Super Bowl-era defensive line and cover Charles Mann next. The point of this series is to cover the playing days and post-NFL life of various team legends, and Mann certainly a good subject for this next column. In many ways, his story is the polar opposite of that of Manley. I knew that Mann had been involved with a variety of different things in his post-NFL life, but I was unprepared for the depth of his involvement in business. So without further ago, let’s jump in.
Mann was drafted by the Redskins in the third round of the 1983 NFL draft out of the University of Nevada – Reno. Collegiate stats of that era are a bit hard to find, but Mann had 14 sacks in his 1982 senior year. He did not graduate at that time, instead choosing the NFL. Mann spent a total of 12 years in the NFL, including 11 with Washington and his final year, 1994, with the San Francisco 49ers. He played in a total of 177 games, with 145 starts, and made 796 tackles, 83 sacks, and recovered 13 fumbles. During his time with the Redskins, which was from 1983 to 1993, he played in a total of 163 games, including 145 starts, and made 784 tackles, 82 sacks, and 13 fumble recoveries.
Mann’s career high point in terms of sacks was 14.5 in 1985, in which he also had 85 tackles[1]. However, he had at least 10 sacks in three other seasons as well, including 10 in 1986, 10 in 1989, and 11.5 in 1991. He had 85 or more tackles in three other seasons as well, including 85 in 1984, 87 in 1986, 93 in 1989, and 91 in 1992. Mann was selected to four Pro Bowls, in 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1991, and earned Second-Team All-Pro honors in 1987 and 1991.
Mann was an integral part of the Redskins’ glory years, including the 1987 and 1991 Super Bowl wins, as well as the Super Bowl loss in in 1983 rookie year. Mann and his partner, Manley, are widely considered to be the greatest pass rushing duo in franchise history. Yardbarker writer Sam Robinson ranked Mann and Manley as #14 in his list of the greatest duos in NFL history[2].
Washington released Mann after the 1993 season when the franchise had to rebuild in the wake of the retirement of head coach Joe Gibbs the year before. Mann went on to play for one more year in San Francisco, where he was a backup and was unable to recapture the production in Washington. He retired from the NFL after the 1994 season.
Mann has had a very active life in business since leaving football. He is not a person who has merely lived off of his fame and NFL money. Immediately following his retirement, Mann transitioned into sports media for several years, serving as a commentator for ESPN from 1996 to 1997, as a reporter and weekend sports anchor for WUSA 9 in Washington from 1995 to 2000, as well as BET [3].
While doing his media work, Mann simultaneously got into a variety of different business ventures, including food and restaurants. He had a brand of sausages at Giant supermarkets called “Man oh Mann”, and owned two restaurants, Charles Mann’s All-Pro Grill located in Reagan National Airport[4].
Mann formed a company called “Allied Merchant Services” with Redskins Hall of Fame receiver Art Monk in 2000, which specialized in credit and debit card processing[5]. He was involved with Allied until 2010. Mann additionally served as President of Business Development for a mechanical engineering and design company called Williams Group, Inc., from 2010 through 2014.
Mann then went back to school in 2011 and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from Strayer University in 2014, and then an MBA from Strayer in 2016.[6]
He has been a leasing and sales advisor for a commercial real estate company, Verity Commercial, since 2017[7]. Today, though, Mann’s primary business venture appears to be Charles Mann Enterprises, which he co-founded with his wife, Tyrena, in 2013[8]. This company provides construction management services for both public and private construction projects in the Washington, DC, area. Mann also recently joined a venture capital fund involved in the sports industry called TFO Sports, as a Senior Business Advisor[9]. A number of other NFL players are a part of this company.
Mann has also been heavily involved with non-profits over the years, including the Charles Mann Academy[10], which provides training and apprenticeship programs, as well as a wide variety of other charities, including the National Kidney Foundation, the United Way, and others. He co-founded The Good Samaritan Foundation in 1992 with Monk, Earnest Byner, and Tim Johnson, whose mission was to mentor at-risk teenagers[11]. This foundation appears to have shut down around 2010.
As is evident, Mann has made the most of his post-NFL life, earning his education and becoming involved with a wide variety of different businesses and non-profit organization. The difference between him and many other former NFL players is stark. Mann showed that it is possible to parley his fame into income-generating business while also earning his academic credentials. He’s built a career for himself that, at this point, has lasted longer than did his time in the NFL.
Congratulations, Charles.
[1] All NFL stats are from www.pro-football-reference.com unless otherwise indicated.
[2] https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/the_top_nfl_pass_rushing_duos_of_the_sack_era/s1__34308266#slide_12
[3] https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-mann-cme/
[4] https://www.commanders.com/team/history/90-greatest;
[5] https://alliantmerchantservices.wordpress.com/about/
[6] https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-mann-cme/
[7] https://www.veritycommercial.com/leadership/charles-mann/
[9] https://www.tfosports.com/
[10] https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-mann-cme/
[11] https://rocketreach.co/the-good-samaritan-foundation-profile_b44778fcfadf034c