GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Not long after the Green Bay Packers' season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last season in São Paulo, Brazil, three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark bashed the field conditions at Arena Corinthians, where the game was played.

Nine months later, it became clearer just why Clark felt so strongly at the time. He revealed Tuesday after a Packers OTA practice that he underwent surgery in January shortly after the season to fix a problem with his right foot that he said started in Brazil.

Despite playing in all 17 regular-season games plus the playoff loss to the Eagles, Clark was bothered most of the season by a toe injury he sustained in the opener. He was listed on the injury report with a toe injury at several points last season.

Clark said the injury occurred when he got his right foot stuck in the turf, which was a problem for several players during the Brazil game.

"It was really just the turf out there," Clark said. "Like the turf pretty much, yeah."

He said he dealt with a bunion and bone spurs, which led to the surgery.

When asked Tuesday whether the poor field conditions at the stadium normally used for soccer caused his injury, Clark said. "I ain't gonna answer that question. Yeah, I got all the Brazilians on me, so."

Clark was referring to reaction from comments he made on USA Today's "Clubhouse Live" last September shortly after the Brazil game. At the time, he said of the field: "It was trash, man. I've played in snow, I've played in rain, I ain't never played on a surface like that. ... There was like clay coming out of the ground. You got holes in the ground. It was a tough surface to play on."

Clark posted his lowest tackle total since his rookie season of 2006 and had only one sack all season after combining for 15.5 over the previous three seasons combined. Clark only began doing individual drills during OTA practices this week. Previously, he had spent most of the offseason program rehabbing or working off to the side.

"It was a tough year for me," Clark said. "I had surgery on my foot in January, so yeah, it was a tough year. But I'm excited. I'm back out practicing, back doing [individual drills], so today was my second day doing indy with the team, and just have to keep building forward."

The Packers-Eagles game was the first ever NFL game in Brazil. The Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs will play there this year on Sept. 5.