First, the host CPU has no access to peripherals' inner working (dedicated
processor, memory and storage), so flashrom (running on the host CPU) can't
even know the existence of the storage chip which is supposed to hold the
non-free firmware on the wireless NIC.
Additionally, for most wireless NICs that require non-free firmware, there's
no non-volatile storage to hold the firmware between startups, so even if you
have physical access to the dedicated storage on the wireless NIC (via an
external programmer), you'll have to flash the firmware every time you
startup you computer, because that storage is volatile.
Because Atheros ath5k/9k doesn't have dedicated processor in it, even if
there is certain firmware on the ath5k/9k card, it can do no harm.
