Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark was not a fan of the playing surface from the team’s season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. On Monday, the three-time Pro Bowler blasted the field conditions during an appearance on Clubhouse Live, hosted by Brett Christopherson.
“It was trash, man,” Clark said. “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.”
The game took place at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil, marking the first time an NFL game was held in South America. Corinthians Arena is one of the country’s largest and most popular soccer stadiums, having hosted six matches during the 2014 World Cup.
“I can see how soccer players can play on it because you can slide pretty far,” Clark added, half-jokingly.
While Clark was vocal about his displeasure, the Eagles faced the same conditions. Interestingly, Corinthians Arena uses hybrid turf—a mix of real grass and turf fibers—the same type of surface found at both Lambeau Field and Lincoln Financial Field.
Even though players from both teams had experience playing on similar surfaces, they still struggled to keep their footing while making cuts or planting their feet. Later in the game, players were seen changing out their cleats on the sideline in hopes of gaining better traction.
After the game, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur refused to blame the field for the team’s performance.
“I’m not going to make excuses about the field. It was the same for both sides,” LaFleur said.
At the end of the day, the Packers only have themselves to blame for their disappointing defeat. They committed a ton of self-inflicted wounds, including 10 penalties, and failed to capitalize on multiple opportunities, mustering only nine points off of three turnovers.
