England opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "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 Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said 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.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days 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 won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
