England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "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 several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
