Before becoming a U.S. Olympic bobsled pilot, Todd Hays was a college football player and then an accomplished kickboxer, never one to shy away from contact sports.

His competitive athletic career is now over, after a crash that originally seemed minor.

Hays' retirement was announced by the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation late Monday night, citing a serious condition called intraparenchymal hematoma _ best described as bleeding into the brain tissue.

"My family and my future are more important than anything, and I need to keep that in mind as I consider what's happened," Hays said in a statement released by the USBSF. "This isn't how I wanted to end my career, and I'm devastated because I feel like I'm letting my team down. There are three guys in my sled that were counting on me to give them an Olympic ticket. Now I can't do that."

A three-time Olympian, Hays did not immediately respond to requests by The Associated Press early Tuesday morning for further comment. It's not known what kind of further treatment, if any, will be required.

"In discussion (Monday) with various experts in the field of sports induced injuries, it was the consensus that Todd should not engage in any further bobsledding to avoid any additional trauma to a healing brain which may cause irreversible damage," team doctor Eugene Byrne said.

The crash that ended his career came last Wednesday on a foggy, rainy day on a track in Winterberg, Germany during a World Cup training session. Hays was in his four-man sled when he lost control. None of his three pushers were injured, and Hays was originally thought to have sustained a concussion.

After an overnight stay in a German hospital, USBSF doctors decided to bring Hays back to Lake Placid, N.Y. for further evaluation, with hopes he could compete in an America's Cup race this weekend and stay on track for what would have been a fourth trip to the Olympics.

That's when the bleeding was detected, quickly sending shock waves through the federation.

"I know that the decision to retire was difficult for him, but I believe he made the right decision by putting his current and future health first," USBSF CEO Darrin Steele said. "Todd is a champion with or without a gold medal. We will continue to support Todd's recovery efforts while he regains his health."

Hays first retired after failing to reach the podium at the 2006 Turin Games, then returned to the sport in 2008. He is one of the most-decorated U.S. bobsled drivers ever, with two world championship medals in his collection. And when he drove a U.S. sled to silver at Salt Lake City in 2002, it ended a 46-year Olympic medal drought for American men's bobsledding.