The English opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation after England were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
