Spoke BEFORE Super Bowl Deal was Signed

... But Travis Didn't Ask Permission

10:30 AM PT -- We've now made sense of what happened between Colin and Travis, and sources connected with both sides agree the two men spoke, but the timeline and substance of the convo are critical.

Sources connected to Travis acknowledge, when TMZ broke the story on December 20 that Travis would perform at the Super Bowl, he had indeed made that decision. The contract, however, had not been signed.

Our Travis sources say he was "surprised" at the blowback and wanted to be "sensitive to the black community," and that's when he started thinking of some sort of donation the NFL might make. We're told Travis' people started negotiating a donation amount with…