England opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after the opener made a knock of 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 everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach 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 to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
