England opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
