England opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made those words in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
