The English opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple interviews following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. 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 came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
