England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in several interviews following England's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
However, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
