The NFL has started a new issue just days before the Super Bowl. The league named social media creator Dhar Mann as its first-ever Chief Kindness Officer. The decision quickly faced criticism. Many fans questioned the choice after learning about his past fraud conviction.
The NFL says it wants Mann to promote kindness and good sportsmanship around the Super Bowl. Super Bowl LX will take place next week in Santa Clara, California. The game will feature the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.
The league praised Mann as a positive and influential storyteller. It said his videos help people feel understood and connected. Mann responded by saying he is honored and excited to take on the role.
However, critics pointed to his legal past. In 2014, Mann pleaded no contest to five felony fraud charges. Prosecutors said he took city grant money meant for building improvements in Oakland. The court gave him five years of probation and ordered him to repay $44,399.
The NFL mentioned that Mann had setbacks in his past but did not share details about the conviction. That lack of detail led to more backlash on social media.
Controversial Past Meets New NFL Role
Dhar Mann (Photo Via Instagram)
Mann built his early career in the marijuana business. He earned the nickname ganjapreneur. At the time of his legal troubles, he ran a real estate company and a luxury car rental firm. He also served as CEO of weGrow, a business known as the Walmart of Weed.
Reports from that period described bitter legal fights with business partners. Mann later paid his fines and finished probation early.
Today, he runs Dhar Mann Studios. The company produces short motivational videos for social media. His YouTube channel boasts more than 26 million subscribers. His videos have reached over 100 billion views across platforms.
Forbes recently ranked him No. 2 on its list of top creators for 2025. The magazine estimated his yearly earnings at $56 million.
Not all attention around his company stays positive. In 2023, some actors who worked for Dhar Mann Studios staged protests. They claimed the company underpaid them and treated them unfairly.
Mann pushed back hard. He said, “These protestors represent a small percentage of the thousands of actors we have and do not represent the views of all actors.”
He also added, “The protestors have said that I won’t meet with actors and did not show up for a planned meeting. That’s not true.” Moreover, he addressed “the misinformation being spread by protestors that we don’t pay our actors. This is 100 per cent not true.”
Now the NFL hopes his message reaches football fans. Supporters say his life story shows growth and change. Critics argue the league picked the wrong person to represent kindness.
Between this clown and the halftime show, the NFL is embarrassing itself over nonsense. But it can afford to do that, because people watch the Super Bowl as an event, with a chunk of them watching as much for the commercials as the game, a chunk of them having it on jut as an excuse for a party, etc...
So the "viewership" numbers stay high even though the number of people actually watching drops.
