After losing key members of their secondary in free agency, the New England Patriots continued to restock the group yesterday, signing cornerback Fernando Bryant.

Bryant, who turns 31 next week, spent the last four seasons with the Lions. He spent the first five years of his career with Jacksonville, which drafted him 26th overall out of Alabama in 1999.

The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Georgia native played in all 16 games last season, with 69 tackles, two interceptions, a forced fumble and 13 passes defensed. However, he played in just 22 games over his first three seasons in Detroit, including just two in 2005, when he suffered a broken clavicle in the second game of the year.

“Adding a cornerback with Fernando’s experience and production is a good opportunity for us,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a statement.

Bryant has prior experience with Pats new secondary coach/special assistant Dom Capers, who was the defensive coordinator in Jacksonville for Bryant’s first two seasons in the NFL.

While it remains to be seen what kind of contributions Bryant can make on defense, it is a surety he’ll contribute in the community. He has received numerous accolades for his charitable work, including being named the Jaguars’ man of the year in 2001, the Lions’ man of the year in 2004, and was honored by the Georgia General Assembly last year for his humanitarian efforts.

Profootballtalk.com, which first reported the signing, said Bryant signed a one-year deal.

Vrabel elected

Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel was elected to the NFL Players’ Association Executive Committee on Wednesday, at the close of the four-day NFLPA meeting in Hawaii.

Tennessee Titans center Kevin Mawae was voted the union’s president, succeeding former Eagle Troy Vincent, whose two-year term had ended and who is no longer playing in the league. Yahoo! Sports reported that Vincent will become assistant executive director of the NFLPA, putting him second in command behind longtime head Gene Upshaw.

Vrabel, Denver’s Domonique Foxworth and New Orleans’ Drew Brees were voted new members on the committee, while Philadelphia’s Brian Dawkins, Tampa Bay’s Kevin Carter, the Colts’ Jeff Saturday, Houston’s Mark Bruener, the Jets’ Tony Richardson and free agents Donovin Darius and Keenan McCardell were re-elected to the executive committee.

Mawae, who spent six years on the executive committee, said the collective bargaining agreement and the threatened owners’ lockout are the most pressing issues facing the players right now.

Quick kicks

The Patriots worked out Ohio State defensive lineman Vernon Gholston in Columbus on Wednesday, according to the Boston Globe. Gholston, 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, would likely play outside linebacker in New England’s 3-4 defense, and would be an intriguing pick at the number-seven spot the Pats hold. However, the Jets, picking one spot before New England, could snag Gholston for the same role. … Belichick, on his annual trip to Florida, took in the University of Florida’s first-round NIT game against San Diego State on Wednesday night. He sat with Gators football coach Urban Meyer and was wearing a St. Louis Cardinals cap. Cards manager Tony LaRussa is also a friend of Belichick.

smanza@projo.com