England opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, 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
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
