The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" observation after England were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
