The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "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 some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Before this match, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
