I dont see how it could be construed as pressure to say: "As a club we're looking to keep our best players and build for the future so obviously the manager is resistant to losing John".
That woud have been the right thing (the skipper thing) to do. That places no pressure on the player, it merely places the club's ambitions forward for consideration in all this. That armband means he represents Everton.
Instead he stated that he didn't have an opinion and we all must leave Stones to it and respect his decision. Which is a pretty insulting statement.
Never in a million years is he a good captain for this club. As said above in the thread in relation to the last captain, Neville was a pain on the pitch with some woeful performances, but he knew how to represent his club at all times.