England opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," 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 entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
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 featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
