England opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "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 Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome 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. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future 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 the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
