England opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
