I think the real problem here is that very early on, people started saying something to the effect of that the coin was "the first cryptocurrency that will be the official currency of a sovereign nation."
Regardless of who said this first, or whether the developers actually had any part in these claims, it spread like wildfire.
Then it came out that it is supposedly not supported by the main portion of the Native American tribe which is actually recognized by the US Government, but rather by a "splinter group."
I think this simply did the most damage overall and caused a massive panic sell.
The first reports I saw were calling it the official currency. Not any upcoming or soon to be crypto but the "official" at the time. We all know that wasn't truthful but only after the first few days after the coin's release. I still cannot believe just how badly this has tanked in such a short time.