The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, after the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
