The English opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
