Yes, the lawsuit opens up Mr. Mann to full discovery. Everything he has said and done, and all of his “data,” becomes discoverable. So does his money trail. There is very little that can be covered by a protective order. The general rule is that everything is discoverable, even though it may not later be admissible at trial.
The problem is money. Discovery is awfully expensive. If the University or their insurer is defending Mann, he may be the one with the deeper pocket to fund the litigation.
Let me add one caveat to the above:
While the information may be discoverable, and not necessarily admissible still holds, I do have to clarify a point regarding a protective order. Mr. Mann should not be able to get a protective order to prohibit discovery to the other party. But he may be able to get a protective or “gag” order to prohibit the other party from further (public) disclosure of same.