England opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
