England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
