England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"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 tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
