Magic City Neighbors Episode 3 - John Cominsky

John Cominsky graduated from Barberton High school and has gone on to become a defensive lineman for the Detroit Lions.  In this, we take the time to talk to him about how Barberton helped him to not only live his dream, but also how he's able to help give back to the community through the Cominsky Family Foundation. John definitely exemplifies the "Barberton Strong" mantra and we dive into that, and so much more with him. 

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Transcript

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Hey, everyone. I am Josh. And I'm Jack. And across the table from us, we have Barberton graduate and Detroit Lions defensive lineman John Cominsky We're going to talk to him right after this. Everyone, welcome back to Magic City Neighbors on the Mic And are you looking for a great way to reach people in Barberton? Consider advertising your business right here on Magic City. Neighbors on the Mic with a page reached last month of over 10,000, you can get directly to the Magic City neighbors that you want to send us a message today as sponsorship slots are actually filling up really quickly. So as I said before, in the first part, I'm Josh. I'm Jack. And then we have John Cominsky here. And John. So you graduated from Barberton and what do you do now? Anything special And yes, still playing football. Oh, just just still playing football. Right rec league? I think it's NFL. Oh. Have you heard of that? I have. I have to. You're with the Detroit Lions, correct? Defensive line. Correct. That is a worlds unlike anything that I have ever seen before in terms of what you guys have to do and the things that you go through. To me, that being said, you've got the story about your shirt. The one year of focus and hustle can change your life forever shirt. And you said you want like 50 of them now because you're going to wear that one out, right? How did you get that shirt? And I mean I mean, I know, I realize it's the saying on it is kind of the inspiration. I mean, what does it come from? What does it mean for for you? Yeah. So my agent, Cliff Brady, got me that shirt and he had given it to one of his other players. And, you know, they buckle down for a year and they ended up getting a contract that they were dreaming of. And you tried the same thing with me, and I really liked it. And yeah, I told them, give me a couple more because I'm wearing this one out, you know, every day to work out. I like it. What did that shirt smell like then? No, they were clean. I had, you know, a whole stack. Okay. You had a stack. You didn't just have one. I was worried that you're working out. Ever more worn out more than others. And then you order some more and you get rid of these. Nice wrapping. Yeah. So it was. It's kind of like that affirmation thing. You know, you see something every day and it just kind of sits in your mind all the time and you slowly just start to make decisions that are going to chase that. And if you can bet that in you, you know, when you're hard work and hustle, that's all I'm thinking about all the time. You know, when it's decision time, you know, your that's influence on me. And so it really helped me and years later ended up signing my contract. So. So that's a full story. Yeah. Congrats. And that's I mean, did it did it mean a ton of sacrifice? And what did you really have to focus on with that? I guess it's kind of my questions in. That, yeah, I just kept my it just kept me focused because you just think sometimes you can think big picture in the NFL, What am I going to be like in your eight? And you're not focused on what your five is going to look like or your four is going to look like. Okay. And so it just kind of created a one year window and I was able to stay focused and just take it day by day and not be thinking big picture and being distracted by what I could be in three years. What can I be today? We're going to be next week. We're can I be this year? So that makes sense. So it's it's really it's it's it's just that singularity, that single focus on how can I make myself better for tomorrow for the end of this year. Right. I've got to get from point A to point B, right. And that is the way to do it. That's interesting because that's then the other thing was, is the I also read that you had that the text from head coach Dan Campbell saying, I'm dying to have you here. You know, what was that feeling like? I mean, what was that text like? I guess I got to say, yeah, it's cool. It's a guy you look up to. I mean, even if I wasn't in the NFL, he'd be a guy that I'd be rooting for. You know, he's just he's easy to love. So I'm already a fan of him. And then he's my head coach, you know, And they're, you know, they're fighting to get me back. We want to figure out how we can get back. And they offer me a deal. And then that text message comes afterwards. And I just felt I felt real personal. And it's awesome. And I knew I knew they wanted me back and I wanted to be back, but it was just it was just such a cool moment, you know, that they were like, I had made this offer that was pretty significant. And then, you know, so they're backing up what they're saying about me all year long. And then so it was just cool. It's cool to go back and be a part of that organization again. Did that feel like that? I guess I would say with that, the culmination of that one year t shirt was that like, Oh yeah, that is what the t shirt means. Yeah, Like, I mean, that's that t shirt drove me to making that contract happen for myself because it was all new going into Detroit. You know, I needed something to keep me focused on that shirt, serve that purpose for me. And about a year after putting that shirt on, I was signing that contract. So it's just it's just a cool little story, a little chapter in my life. You know, It's just it was a life changing year for me. And it's so fun when you get to see the proof of concept because there's so many saying exactly where you're like, I don't know if that means something, but you're like, Oh, this. But yeah, that that meant something. Made it mean something. Yeah, right. Yeah, that made it mean. So what you got So yeah. Asking about why this is where are you from. How did that help you focus and get to where you are today. Just being from Barberton and being in the area. Wow. I had such a good group of friends. I think it was just. Yeah, that sense of community here in Barberton. And I was I had a lot of friends and all our parents knew each other and it was just a nice tight community and it gave me a foundation growing up and, and you know, and that, that from childhood and all those experiences, they certainly served to want to create that for other people, you know. And so I was blessed to have the childhood I had in Barberton and yeah, so yeah. And then your mission statement for the Community Foundation states we envision tight knit communities that have a passion for supporting their local youth to help create opportunities for a stronger future. Our passion is to help those who need it the most. Are youth. Does some of that stem from your roots? Oh yeah. At all stems from Barberton roots. You know, some kids had it better than others. And you know, you always want you always want to pull along those that are less fortunate than you. And I know that those problems exist in Barberton. I no, not everybody's got it easy. Some have it easier than others. But, you know, that's that's why we wanted to interject and bring some support to Barberton. You know, it's where I'm from and this community helped me to fulfill what I wanted to do. So to create that for the kids here and everything. Yeah, definitely. It all comes back to my experience in Barberton and wanting to feed back into the community. I just it's always going to have a piece of me here. That's to me, that's awesome. And you brought your cleats right? Because those have that special meaning, right? That's I mean, I was about to say, put them up on the table here and I'll grow. I mean, we'll have, we'll have some description here for for those that are just kind of listening to those things. First off. That's sweet. They are. I could stick both feet in them. In one of them is Sorry. I mean, are those specific to you mean what what's the story behind them? So they do my calls, my cleats in the NFL and a lot of guys, it's an opportunity for them to either promote their own charities or promote a charity that they support. And so we've done this. And, you know, you can see that custom paint job. Yeah, I'm not to give credit to the guy. I can't think of it right now who painted these for me. But yeah, I got the logo right here, Barberton Magics, colors and they even stencil. Then me and my wife here on the back. I saw that that is good. And yeah, so it was just a good opportunity on the NFL stage to, you know, promote the foundation, bring some light to Barberton. So and it's pretty cool. It's a cool little collector's item. You know, maybe one day in a fundraiser or something, it'll be a little prize or something, you know? Sure. Yeah. So that would be amazing. And I mean, the throwback to the thing that I love about him also is, I mean, that purple is going to stand out, especially among a bunch of lions uniforms that purple is going to be like, wow. So people are going to. Ask him. Yeah, they're going to see him. They're going to ask the questions. To me, that's absolutely awesome. That's and that's great that you guys are doing that. Yeah, it's just it's one of the fun things that you get to do when you have a foundation. You know, when you're in the NFL and this opportunity comes around, you support a nonprofit that you want to support. And I just so happened to have opened my own because I listen to some guys who do it themselves. And these are just this is just some of the coolest things that you get to do is, you know, I got my face and my wife's face painted on there beautifully, and I'm wearing it before the game, you know, And they're snapping pictures and stuff, and people are seeing that asking about it. So it's just it's really cool. It's just one of those things, you know, one of those things you just don't hear about until you get there. Yeah. It's just one of those blessings you get to experience. And it's so it's one of those other things that makes that year of work worth it, right? Yeah, that's there's, there's sacrifices to it obviously. And when you get that year of work done, that's the that to me is a good segue way into kind of our what we like to call our rapid fire is this so called the rapid fire round. Unless what changed it that I didn't know about. You know okay so it's the rapid fire round. So this is kind of and it goes along with what people want to know. So whether it's questions we get through Facebook or Instagram or whatever. And so let me put. Some water. Before the right. Yeah, go right ahead. So you got to stay hydrated. You got to stay hydrated for rapid fire around here because this is super intense or not. It's like, well, it's probably similar to being on the defensive line, at least from my knowledge. It is. Right. Right. So what's the toughest part mentally of the NFL? And I mean, I assume this kind of translates to a lot of things just at the top level because you are you're at the top level of the game. So what is the toughest part like mentally of that? There's a few things, but one thing that sticks out and I think that I'm starting to get over this and just starting to enjoy it a little bit more, but there's always a lingering feeling that you could be replaced any day. And it's heavy on guys. You know, you're you're you're getting an apartment and you're getting comfortable. You're getting all your furniture moved up there just for the possibility that you might get released. And so just like the lingering knowledge, knowing how quick guys turn over and teams turn over and guys get traded and cut and released and brought back in, and then you got to think about you're making friends along the way. So if it's not yourself, you're worried about, you're worried about your buddy and his wife's getting close to my wife. I mean, so it was it's tough to see guys come and go like that. And and so it was tough for me to get over that personally. And then when you start making friends and then you're losing those friends in that environment, you want to have a couple of good buddies, you know? And so when you're losing them, it's hurts. So it's definitely one of the harder things amongst a few others. Yeah, Yeah. No, that, that makes sense because there's that you need that personal support, you know, at high level, anything. You know is probably a lot of people that don't even see being in the NFL as a whole. I mean, it's there are people, right? You're not looking at it just like it's a Oh, we're watching games like exactly. Living their lives as much as people are that are sitting behind the TV watching stuff. Yeah, definitely make sense. Yeah. It's just it's everything. So business transactions and it just so happens that it comes at the expense of people's emotions and and friendships and stuff. So, yeah, it's just tough. It's tough to get over. But you know, I don't, I don't worry about it so much anymore. And I appreciate the time I get with any players that I become close with and try to stay in contact. You know, I play just that way. So there's a long thread. Yeah. Yeah, right. What's your favorite thing to do outside of football? What hobbies do you have? I really love the golf and I like getting on the golf. I mean, my dad like the golf, my brother. That's what we've always done it. We're not the best. We're not very good at all, actually. But as long. As you enjoy. It. Yeah. I actually took out, um. I took out a windshield on turkey at turkey foot, you know, the main road going right down, you know, hit the back. When should. I bet? Not a lot of people have done that in our area. Yeah, I've seen the ball go in the car and then the timing is just working out and I see the back windshield just go white, you know, because when it shatters and splinters, it goes, Yeah, but no, I love golf. And I. Even if I hit one good shot, it's worth going up. Yeah, I love it so much. So that is awesome. So Golf Pro is not going to be after you retire from the. NFL or not. Okay. I have to really buckle down and focus on. Okay right YouTube prop would it be more than one year of focus. On that might be about five or six. So you're obviously I mean your defensive line most guys on defensive line are not Jack in my size and anyone that can look on the camera heresies obviously that you are I mean your Jack and my size two combined what's for breakfast most days I'm assuming it's not a bowl of coco crisps. Right Yeah it's got to be a lot Whatever it is, you got to eat a lot of you know, you got to work out coming up. So I usually it's just one of those for breakfast you got, you know, eggs, you know, get a breakfast, me sausage or bacon, French toast, frozen pancakes together in a big bowl of cereal, yogurt, berries, whatever. You're just trying to add up calories, make sure you're nice and full and got a lot of energy for the day. Can't really skip breakfast. If you skip breakfast, you're going to be working out and you're getting lightheaded. So you just got to eat a lot. I got to eat a lot and I got to eat often. And then it's become a job itself, for sure. Eating my relationship with food is definitely different than most people. That's part of the job, is consuming food. So when you recall that part of the job I want been a part of the job. And then what would be your fondest childhood location in and what's that like, your fondest childhood location? Like what was your favorite place growing up when you were here? I grew up all sides of Barberton and I had friends in all sides of Barberton. I'd say all the parks. I grew up around Edgewood, I grew up around Chrisman Park, I spent time at Tusk, Brighton, Stein, McCafferty, all the parks. I mean, we were right out bikes and hanging out. So I'd say the parks, you know, that's kind of where we rallied. And all the kids in the neighborhood would meet up on our bikes and do what? I would go by a polar park, $0.59. And I said, Yeah, right. You didn't strap on quarters together just to get a 32 ounce pop. Yeah. Um, yeah, I just, I just that's some of my better memories. Is riding my bike around, just going to gas stations, buying candy bars and, you know, just goofing around, riding around. Take the towpath up to Cleveland and for feeling bold that day, you know. So yeah, yeah. Just being outside those parks and. Nice. Interesting parks have a lot of people have said parks stuff about Barberton because there is there's really a good network of parks here for people to go to. Yeah, that being said, we are to our two big questions and mine of which is what is your favorite Barberton folklore slash tall tale slash rumor slash What scared the hell out of you as a kid? Whatever. Yeah. So as I mentioned, we were on our bikes a lot. And so, you know, all the old abandoned buildings, there will be stories about them being haunted or whatever. And I went to Portage for my kindergarten to second and third grade. There was a house catty corner that was big up on the hill. There's ivy wrapped all around it, all the bushes and foliage. And it was a spooky looking house. And there was always rumors of that house being haunted. So, you know, you know, resume your bike. You wouldn't take that way home at night when the streetlights were off. You know, maybe you avoid you. Go across the street. Yeah. Could take a different route. So take a different road. Good call. Good call. And you survived because of that? That's right. That's good. Good. Glad to hear that fall. Yeah. And then, um, what do you see as the future for Barberton? And, like, where do you think we're headed as a community and what are the bright spots that you see? Um, yeah, I love, I love, first and foremost, the school system that Barberton High School. And we got the middle school right there. I love that. I think it's cool. It creates like a little mini campus in Barberton that's got that like, I don't know, almost. Yeah, just like a campus feel. You got everybody right there. So I just think I think the schools are doing a good job. I think they just redid that bus garage down there too. I don't know if you've seen that driving up. What is that? Naw, not anymore. Yeah. Yeah. So it's beautiful down there and downtown. Seem you got coffee and you know, you've got a couple of breakfast joints there. You got scoops over there on the east side is doing really good and business is doing good. And it seems like we've got a strong community. You know, I've spent some time with the Columbus Club and the Rotary Club and stuff and got to hear some people that, you know, kind of do some things out in the community. And it seems like there's enough people that care. And I think the future is bright for Marvin, and I'm excited to be a part of it. So yeah, that's awesome. That's awesome. To me, that's that is a great way for us to end this because, yes, we're highlighting bright spots. You just picked out about half a dozen of them. Yeah, maybe more. Yeah. So for us once again, do us a favor, like share subscribe, by all means. We've got some other great guests lined up. Make sure you stay tuned and we will catch you guys soon. We'll see you. Thanks.